Dodgers: 3 trade targets LA needs to beat Giants to

2. Craig Kimbrel

The last thing we want to do is mess up Kenley Jansen’s rhythm, as the Dodgers closer is enjoying his best season in four years, posting a 1.45 ERA, 41 strikeouts, 22 walks, 21 saves (to just three blown saves), a 1.045 WHIP and 0.2 home runs per nine innings in 37 games.

For as dominant as Jansen has been this season, however, the Dodgers have serious questions in the back end of their bullpen and they should be looking to stabilize it. With the starting rotation in flux, the bullpen is going to be relied on heavily moving forward, so adding an arm seems like a no-brainer, especially if it means playing keep away from the Giants.

With that in mind, why not trade for the most in-form closer in MLB not named Jansen? We’re talking about Craig Kimbrel, who’s enjoyed a monster bounce-back year for the Cubs, logging a 0.53 ERA, 58 strikeouts, 21 saves and a 0.66 WHIP in 33.2 innings.

Kimbrel isn’t finishing 2021 with the Cubs, and you better believe the Giants will be one of the teams in the mix for his services leading up to the deadline. The 33-year-old will cost a lot, but since when did a price tag stop the Dodgers from conducting business?

Assuming one of Jansen or Kimbrel is comfortable embracing a setup role, trading for the latter would make the Dodgers nearly unhittable in high-leverage situations late in games.