Dodgers: 3 All-Stars LAD can still sign this offseason

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the reigning champs, but that doesn’t mean the fans will scale back expectations for this upcoming season. You could even argue that they’re more hungry to get back to the World Series than they were last year, and this collective viewpoint has resulted in some unrest amid the club’s relatively quiet offseason as far as big spending is concerned.

While the Dodgers have made a couple of statement additions to their bullpen, the fan base has been persistent in their demands for a right-handed bat who can play on the left side of the infield (specifically third base), and potentially another starter to add to the rotation for depth purposes.

After all, there’s bound to be a shower of injuries to pitchers this year following the 60-game sprint and relentless playoff schedule last season. We hate to even say that, but these hurlers are creatures of habit and their workloads getting slashed as much as they did in 2020 can seemingly only have negative consequences.

Luckily for the Dodgers, however, there’s an abundance of All-Star talent still braving the free agency waters with approximately two weeks remaining until spring training, so let’s attempt to highlight some players they should look to sign as they get set to defend their title.

The Dodgers can still sign these three players this offseason.

3. Trevor Rosenthal

How about another reliever for the bullpen, Dodgers fans?

The Dodgers got the chance to witness what Trevor Rosenthal brings to the table when they faced off against the Padres in the playoffs last year. In that series, they actually got the better of the 30-year-old reliever, blitzing him for four runs (all earned) in just an inning of work out of the ‘pen.

Despite that atrocity of an inning, however, Rosenthal has enjoyed tremendous success in the postseason throughout his career. In 27 games (30 innings), he’s compiled a 2.40 ERA alongside eight saves, 48 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP. In fact, six of the eight career earned runs he’s allowed in the playoffs came this past season with San Diego.

Assuming that was just a blip on the radar more than a sign of things to come, the Dodgers should absolutely look to add Rosenthal to their improving bullpen. His rebound during the shortened 2020 campaign could potentially be an indication that his injury troubles and location struggles are a thing of the past.

Rosenthal has logged 132 saves over his career, but he has plenty of experience working as a middle relief guy and setup man, making him a perfect fit for the Dodgers, who don’t exactly have designated innings lined up for their current assortment of relievers. For a player with a career 3.36 ERA and 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings, signing him is really a no-brainer.