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Dodgers: Quality relievers still available in free agency
The Dodgers were unable to land Gerrit Cole and the rest of the quality free-agent starters are now off the market. It’s time to look for bullpen help.
When the Dodgers began their off-season the front office planned to pursue Gerrit Cole and hopefully land the prized free agent on the market. The Dodgers made a serious run at Cole and offered him an eight-year deal worth close to $300 million but they ultimately came up short as the Yankees offered a nine-year contract and Cole seemed to want to play in New York.
The Dodgers had some level of interest in other free agent starters such as Hyun-Jin Ryu and Madison Bumgarner but they were not interested enough to offer them a contract. Now the free-agent market is out of quality options but there are plenty of quality relievers still available on the market. The Dodgers could use more bullpen help so they could take a look at one or two of the relievers in this article.
Elite relievers left in free agency: Daniel Hudson
Just last night Will Harris signed with the Nationals but Daniel Hudson is still available. Will Harris got a three-year deal identical to Joe Kelly but Hudson is only expected to receive a two-year deal. Hudson does not have the long track record of success that Harris has so a 2 year $16 million dollar deal could be enough to land him.
The former Dodger Daniel Hudson bolstered the Nationals’ bullpen in 2019. Hudson was a Dodger in 2019 and started to show glimpses of being an effective reliever before going down with forearm issues. Last season with the Blue Jays and Nationals he allowed an average of .210 while converting eight of twelve save opportunities. In the postseason, Hudson converted all four of his save opportunities. It’s likely too soon to call Daniel Hudson an elite reliever but he is one of the better options in this year’s free-agent class.
Middle tier relievers: Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler
A couple of underrated relievers still on the free-agent market are Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler. Kintzler was once a vital piece of the Twins and Nationals bullpen but he has faded a bit in recent seasons. His 2019 season was very solid as he pitched to an ERA of 2.68 and had one of the best ground ball rates among relievers recording 54.7% of his outs via the ground ball. He will be 36 next season so he should come relatively cheap on a one year deal.
Steve Cishek is another former Cub and he is one of the most underrated relievers in this year’s free agency. Cishek finished in the top 1% of the league in exit velocity as he held opponents to an average exit velocity of 84.5 MPH. Cishek is another ground ball pitcher who also averaged eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 2019. Steve Cishek would be another good pickup for the Dodgers to help solidify the back end of their bullpen.
Reclamation project relievers: Arodys Vizcaino and Jimmy Nelson
Over the years the Dodgers have had several reclamation type relievers turn into effective late-inning relievers. Two former projects that come to mind are Joe Blanton and Brandon Morrow who revived their careers in Los Angeles and became setup relievers for the back end of the Dodger bullpen. There are two interesting candidates in free agency who could be the next success story for the Dodger bullpen.
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One of those relievers is former Braves’ closer, Arodys Vizcaino. Vizcaino underwent labrum surgery earlier this year and his timeline to return is unclear but he could be ready to return sometime late in the season. Arodys has averaged 10.1K/9IP in his career and successfully converted 50 of 63 save opportunities. He could be an interesting gamble for a bullpen in need of relief.
The other reliever project in free agency is former starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson. Nelson strained his rotator cuff and partially tore his labrum in his throwing shoulder sliding into first base at the end of the 2017 season. Jimmy missed the 2018 season and returned to pitch in 10 games last season and pitched to an ERA of 6.95. What’s interesting however is what Nelson was able to do as a reliever.
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Jimmy Nelson made seven appearances as a reliever spanning ten innings and struck out 13 batters in 10 innings while holding the opposition to a .265 average. Nelson has always been a high strikeout guy averaging 10 K/9IP over his last two seasons. Bringing Jimmy Nelson aboard as a reliever could be another low-risk high reward move to bolster LA’s bullpen. The bullpen needs help so there is nothing wrong with taking a flier on Vizcaino or Nelson.