3 bold roster moves the Dodgers need to make before NLDS

Coming off the most regular-season wins in franchise history, the Los Angeles Dodgers are ready to make another World Series push to win their eighth championship in franchise history. It doesn’t matter how many games the team won before the postseason, though; all that matters is that they win 11 games in mid-to-late October.

It’s hard to deny the Dodgers as the most talented team in the entire league heading into the playoffs. However, as we know, talent only takes you so far. The Dodgers need to also get hot and it’s Dave Roberts’ job to maximize the roster’s efficiency in order to do that.

The last month or so has been rather pedestrian for the Dodgers as Roberts has been evaluating his team and the options he has. Now, we can definitely say that the team should make certain decisions with its personnel.

Some of these calls won’t be easy, but the Dodgers have enough evidence at this point to be a bit cutthroat if they need to be.

Here are 3 bold roster moves the Dodgers need to make before the NLDS

3. Keep Craig Kimbrel off the postseason roster

Craig Kimbrel was demoted from being the Dodgers closer earlier this month after a bad season in which fans were extremely frustrated with him. Roberts gave Kimbrel every chance in the world to get right but he simply couldn’t, and Roberts had no choice.

If the Dodgers don’t trust Kimbrel in the ninth inning of a regular-season game, then how can they trust him in the middle innings of a close playoff game? If there’s no intention to pitch him in any sort of high-leverage spots, then why even have him on the roster at all?

You could make the case that Kimbrel can be saved for mop-up duty, but it would be better to have someone who could provide more length in that role. The Dodgers need to ensure they are throwing out the best 26 players. Kimbrel is not one of them.

1. Don’t let Andrew Heaney start a playoff game

Andrew Heaney has value to the pitching staff in the postseason, it just shouldn’t come as a starter. There is legitimate potential for Heaney to be a 2022 version of 2020 Julio Urias, though the left-hander would have to comply.

Rotations traditionally shrink to four pitchers with the extra rest days in the postseason. As of right now, the Dodgers are looking at a starting rotation of Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Anderson and Tony Gonsolin.

Dave Roberts said that Dustin May is looking good and it appears that he might come out of the bullpen and be a 2-3 inning option, which would be outstanding. Gonsolin and May could be quite the 1-2 punch in a game in which they are stacked on top of each other. The Dodgers could theoretically get 7-8 really good innings out of that pairing.

And then the rotation should reset, leaving Heaney without a starting spot. Of course, things change depending how the series goes and how guys are feeling, but as it stands right now, Heaney should be that wipeout lefty that comes in for 1-2 innings in key spots to get outs.

Heaney is such a peculiar pitcher this season. He has been the definition of boom or bust. He ranks in the 96th percentile in chase rate and whiff rate and the 97th percentile in strikeout rate. However, he also ranks in the third percentile in average exit velocity and the second percentile in hard-hit rate.

The southpaw has an absurdly high 13.5 K/9 while also owning a 1.7 HR/9 mark. Heaney is only the second starting pitcher this century to post a K/9 of 13 or higher with a HR/9 of 1.7 or higher (with at least 50 innings pitched). The other was Tyler Glasnow in 2020.

It’s truly a unique situation, and the home run issues could be scary, but the power isn’t as big of a problem against lefties, who have hit just one home run against Heaney this year and are slugging .321 compared to .449 for righties.

Plus, Heaney’s numbers the first time facing someone in a game are promising — opponents are slashing .175/.246/.325 vs the lefty the first time through versus .250/.316/.548 the second time. That’s a massive difference.

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