Dodgers: 3 closers LAD can trade for if Kenley Jansen flops again

1. Amir Garrett

The Cincinnati Reds are another team likely going nowhere fast after losing Trevor Bauer to free agency and trading closer Raisel Iglesias to the Los Angeles Angels. Their lineup is meh and their pitching staff is OK. If you couldn’t get the job done in the shortened season with better players than you have now, then you’re not going to do much of anything in a full 2021 campaign.

That’s why Amir Garrett will more than likely be available ahead of the trade deadline. The lefty has come a long way ever since transitioning from a starter to a reliever at the onset of his MLB career.

He debuted in 2017, was very bad as a starter, and switched to a bullpen role the very next season, with his last two campaigns standing out. And now he’ll be closing for Cincy in a few weeks.

Over his last 90 games, the left-hander owns a 3.03 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 104 strikeouts across 74.1 innings of work. In 2019, his last full season of work, he ranked in the top 5% of the league in barrel percentage, top 10% in expected batting average, and top 3% in expected slugging percentage. He’s honed his fastball-slider combo and possesses that fire on the mound you absolutely need for a late-innings guy.

Not to mention, he’s under club control through 2024. He could be the centerpiece of the ‘pen if Jansen leaves in free agency while the Dodgers continue their usual effective patchwork from innings 6-8. Garrett’s both a short-term and long-term steal if he can be attained.

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