Dodgers’ left-handed relief options are dwindling away

Yesterday the Dodgers saw one of their left-handed relief targets come off the board as Jake Diekman was dealt to the Oakland A’s.

On Saturday, the Dodgers saw one left-handed reliever they were targeting get dealt from the Royals to the Oakland A’s.  That is reliever Jake Diekman, who the Dodgers were believed to be the front runners for as recent as Friday.  LA apparently thought otherwise as the A’s traded two prospects for Diekman and the Dodgers will look for lefties elsewhere.

Scott Alexander will remain on the shelf for the foreseeable future with nerve damage to his thumb on his throwing hand.  Julio Urias is the only trusted southpaw the Dodgers have in their bullpen and he still needs to prove he can pitch on back to back days.  Using Julio as a LOOGY would be a waste of his talent, so the Dodgers need another lefty in their bullpen.

Caleb Ferguson who broke onto the scene last year continues to struggle in 2019.  Unless he regains his 2018 form, the bullpen needs another left-handed reliever in addition to an elite arm who can help bridge the late innings to Kenley Jansen.  The left-handed reliever market remains murky.

The Giants have Will Smith but are still within reach of the second wildcard spot in the National League.  If the Giants make Smith available then he is an obvious trade fit for the Dodgers but that is no guarantee.  The Giants also have Tony Watson, but he has been awful against left-handed batters this season, allowing an average of .348.

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The one lefty who remains somewhat available is Felipe Vazquez.  The Dodgers would love to pry Vazquez away from the Pirates but the asking price remains two of LA’s top four prospects in addition to more.  Vazquez is the best available reliever and would give the Dodgers a true plan B for Kenley Jansen if he keeps struggling to lock down saves.

Outside of Smith and Vazquez, the next best left-handed reliever on the market is Amir Garrett.  The Reds are willing to listen on Garrett, and the southpaw has been dynamite since moving to the bullpen.  Amir Garrett has a 1.85 ERA and has held the opposition to an average of .194.  Left-handed hitters are hitting just .203 against Garrett.

Coincidentally, Amir Garrett is slated to become a free agent at the same time as Felipe Vazquez.  Garrett is under control via arbitration through the 2023 season.  If the Dodgers send a nice package of prospects to the Reds for Garrett, he would be with the team for five postseasons, just as Felipe Vazquez would.

Andrew Chafin of the Arizona Diamondbacks is one more southpaw reliever who was recently made available. Although he has not had his best season this year, he is still effective against lefties and has been very durable over the last few seasons.  If the asking price is low, Chafin could be a good get.

Outside of Smith, Vazquez, Chafin, and Garrett, the reliever trade market is saturated with right-handed relievers.  Bullpen arms like Shane Greene, Ken Giles, and Chris Martin are on the trade block but would not fill LA’s need for a left-handed specialist.  Andrew Friedman always gets creative at the deadline, and he will need to be creative yet again in finding the Dodgers bullpen help.