How are the 7 players Dodgers lost in offseason performing in 2022?

Counter question: Does it even matter?! The Los Angeles Dodgers are arguably the best team in MLB despite various offseason departures following their disappointing postseason exit at the hands of the Atlanta Braves.

But, as you could’ve guessed, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman properly supplemented those losses with talent at least year’s trade deadline and in free agency, both before and after the lockout.

At 12-6, the Dodgers haven’t really missed a beat, but it’s worth tracking a lot of the formidable names that departed this past offseason, especially since many still reside in the National League! A lot of these guys will be directly competing with LA at some point or another, so fans should be aware of what’s to come as the year progresses.

In all likelihood, you know most of the guys who left, but there are a few who might’ve slipped under the radar since so much has happened after the lockout was lifted. We’re already almost in May! Insanity.

Would most of these guys helped the Dodgers in 2022? Sure. But they’ve moved on, and so have we. We’ll just be checking in from time to time to see what’s up.

Tracking how former Dodgers are performing during the 2022 season

4. The Not-So-Important: Steven Souza

Any guesses where outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is? Any clue even? He’s at Triple-A Tacoma after signing a minor-league contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Yup, a man who logged very important at-bats with the Dodgers last season both down the stretch and in the postseason doesn’t even have a job in MLB right now. And he’s hitting .200 with a .725 OPS across 13 games in the minors! How was this the best the Dodgers could do last year?

On that note, Souza was bad for LA in his 27 total games, hitting .222 in the regular season and .125 in October. No surprise the Dodgers let him walk.

Additionally, he actually defended the Houston Astros from cheating criticism recently, so fans should actually be glad he’s gone. Didn’t need that energy in 2022, especially since the Astros all but officially stole a World Series from the Dodgers.

3. Albert Pujols

Tío Albert! LA misses you. Pujols was perfect for the Dodgers, providing excellent at-bats against left-handed pitching while also acting as a source of leadership and guidance for both the veterans and youngsters on LA’s roster. His contributions won’t ever be forgotten.

This offseason, the future Hall of Famer declared this would be his final year in MLB, and he returned to where it all began with the St. Louis Cardinals. As upset as Dodgers fans were when he left, it was understandable. It was the perfect way for Pujols to close out his storied career.

Through his first nine games, he’s hitting .259 with an .852 OPS and 154 OPS+ in 30 plate appearances. He’s still logging part-time duty, but is clearly being used as efficiently as he was in Los Angeles.

Could the Dodgers have used him in the same role in 2022? Absolutely. One could even say he’d be an upgrade over the current bench, which features Edwin Rios, Hanser Alberto and Gavin Lux. But at-bats would’ve been harder to come by after the addition of Freddie Freeman, so this divorce very much happened organically.

Rooting for Albert, but not shaken up over it by any means.

2. Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly and Corey Knebel

The Dodgers let a trio of productive relievers walk in the offseason. Kenley Jansen went to the Braves, Joe Kelly to the White Sox, and Corey Knebel to the Phillies. Friedman replaced them all with Craig Kimbrel, Daniel Hudson and a number of in-house options that proved themselves in 2021.

Though LA’s bullpen has maintained a robust 2.22 ERA and 0.80 WHIP so far this season (and without much of Blake Treinen!), there’s no denying those three were big losses. And here’s how they’re doing in 2022:

• Jansen – 3.38 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 1.08 FIP, 11 strikeouts and 5 saves in 8.0 innings
• Kelly – Beginning a rehab assignment on Friday as he recovers from a shoulder issue
• Knebel – 1.13 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 2.08 FIP, 7 strikeouts and 3 saves in 8.0 innings

Kelly’s yet to log an inning, but Dodgers fans are going to miss his trademark heater and boisterous personality that very much annoyed the opposition. He’ll forever be immortalized for brushing back Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman back in 2020.

This is all worth tracking as the season wears on because we know how bullpens typically cycle in new faces due to injuries, fatigue and general role changes. These three veterans had entrenched roles in the Dodgers’ bullpen and Roberts still has some work to do sorting out the changes.