Dodgers: Astros’ deal with Pedro Baez proves LAD have owned the reliever market

The Dodgers have lost Pedro Baez, but they managed to get better.

Pedro Baez‘s tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers was no doubt a successful one. The converted third baseman carved out an important relief role for himself and it eventually culminated in a World Series title this past season.

However, to say fans were just about done with the right-hander, especially after 2020, would be an understatement. They could no longer bear his interminable wind-up or the fact that he wasn’t really reliable in high-leverage situations anymore. It was a good run, we’ll just leave it at that.

And it officially came to an end on Wednesday when Baez reportedly inked a two-year deal with the Houston Astros. Based on how much he’s being paid by his new team, it’s just further proof the Dodgers are absolutely owning the relief pitching market this offseason.

That’s a total of $12.5 million for Baez over two years. Instead, the Dodgers went ahead and gave Blake Treinen $17.5 million over the course of two years and added Corey Knebel ($5 million), Tommy Kahnle ($4.25 million total through 2022) and Brandon Morrow ($1 million — if he makes the team). They signed three relievers — all with excellent or solid track records — for $2 million less than what the Astros paid for Baez.

And they still have room to add more!

Though Kahnle may not pitch in 2021, the Dodgers set themselves up nicely for 2022 and have themselves a number of high-upside bounce-back candidates for 2021 and/or 2022. Many would argue that’s better than two more years of Baez, despite the fact his seven seasons with the team were largely successful.

Honestly, a good joke. Nice work.

Los Angeles is still in the market for one more reliever, and after Liam Hendriks signed with the White Sox, we’ve been hearing louder buzz surrounding Brad Hand and Kirby Yates, both of whom fans would likely be thrilled to have.

If the Dodgers can complete their overhaul with one of those additions, then it’s safe to say they capitalized better than any other team on the relief market. The financials prove it right now — we’ll just be waiting on the production.

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