3 players the Dodgers should keep and 3 they should trade

Evan Phillips

Phillips also had an outstanding 2023 season out of the Dodgers bullpen and is, similar to Graterol, under team control through 2026. Unlike Graterol, however, who will be looking to prove his 2023 showing wasn't a fluke, Phillips is one year ahead of the curve. His breakout came in 2022, his first full season with the Dodgers after they picked him up on waivers from the Rays in August 2021. He pitched 63 innings for a 1.14 ERA and closed nine games.

In 2023, he continued to dominate and was moved into a more frequent closer role, finishing off 36 of the 62 games he appeared in for a 2.05 ERA. This earned him a $2.7 million salary hike going into 2024, which will probably be reflected on the field by the Dodgers leaning on him even more heavily in closing scenarios. Although they did express interest in Josh Hader before he signed with the Astros and Phillips doesn't have the same history of excellence behind him, Phillips was always the Dodgers' best option. He's proven that he can be consistent and the team won't have to pay him free agent money (especially not the kind Hader will be making over the next five years) in order to keep him. The Dodgers are best served pairing Phillips with potential elite closers moving forward, not replacing him. He provides too much surplus value.

Caleb Ferguson

Ferguson isn't quite on the same level as Graterol and Phillips, but he has been a relatively consistent presence for the Dodgers bullpen since 2018. He's certainly exceeded expectations as a 38th round draft pick for LA in 2014 who made his debut in 2018 and has been able to turn out a few 40-60 inning seasons ever since. ERA-wise, his best year was 2022, but he only managed to pitch 34 2/3 innings as he was coming off of Tommy John. The Dodgers leaned on him more in 2023, when he pitched 34 2/3 innings for a 3.43 ERA.

Sell high? Not quite; the Dodgers need to retain all the proven bullpen talent they can get.

He'll be making $2.4 million in 2024, up from $1.1 million, which he and the team agreed on to avoid arbitration in his last arb-eligible year. With only one year of team control left and his ability to perform at a decent level, the Dodgers should keep him through the year and let him go in free agency at the end of the season if they want to upgrade. He's worked in a few different capacities for the team -- sometimes as an opener, sometimes as clean-up, mostly as a middle-innings eater -- and having a stable, known quantity in the bullpen is always a good thing.

3 players the Dodgers should trade

Austin Barnes

As far as backup catchers go, the Dodgers could do a little better than the 34-year-old Barnes. He appeared in 53 games at the backstop on Will Smith's off days or when Smith was DH'ing, and he had his worst batting year with a .180/.256/.242 line. Barnes came over to the Dodgers from the Marlins in 2014 with Kiké Hernández and Andrew Heaney, and has made all of his major league appearances with LA. 2017 was his best year by far; he played in a career-high 102 games and batted .289/.408/.486, but he took a quick downturn in 2018 and hasn't managed to get even close to those numbers again.

He signed an extension with the Dodgers for 2023-2024, with a club option worth $3.5 million for 2025. Given the team's dependence on Smith and Barnes' corresponding decline in playing time (and a powerful glut of catching prospects behind him), the easiest thing would be to keep him through the year and make a decision about picking up his option at the end of the season. However, he could also be packaged up in a trade for a perhaps younger backup catcher and a prospect or two. It doesn't seem like he'll be getting much better with the Dodgers or even have much of an opportunity to do so with Smith putting up All-Star numbers.

Ryan Yarbrough

After being traded to the Dodgers from the Royals at the deadline in 2023, Yarbrough made most of his 11 appearances out of the bullpen. He started one game and appeared in relief for the rest, for a total of 38 1/3 innings pitched and a 4.89 ERA. Now, there might be a question of where he'll fit in the roster. Most depth charts list him as a starting pitcher, and he does have a history of eating innings for the Rays (with mixed results), but it seems unlikely that he'll get more than a couple starts, if any, for the Dodgers in 2024, as they just rounded out their rotation by signing James Paxton.

The team could kick Yarbrough back to the bullpen permanently, but with the Dodgers' apparent intention to keep looking for relievers in free agency, it might be time for them to let go of him altogether. His numbers have never been fantastic, even less so when put up against those of Graterol, Phillips, and Ferguson, and he could go to another team that's in need of a starter in return for a perhaps less experienced bullpen arm and/or prospects. He'll be a free agent at the end of the season, but the Dodgers could get almost $4 million off of their payroll sooner if they deal him away, and it wouldn't irreparably damage the bullpen.

Manuel Margot

Although Tyler Glasnow headlined the Dodgers-Rays trade in December, Margot was also a solid get for the Dodgers. He has a pretty good history as a hitter and center fielder with the Rays, and he'll come in handy as the team moves Mookie Betts to second base this season. However, it's also worth noting the team is set to pay him $10 million this year, with a mutual option worth $12 million next year. He has a higher ceiling than Chris Taylor, who the Dodgers will kick back into a utility role after adding Margot and Teoscar Hernández, but he's also not the best they can do in the outfield. Post-trade rumors indicated he wasn't their top choice.

For now, especially with a shallow free agent pool, Margot will be more than serviceable, but he could be a trade piece at the deadline or before the Dodgers need to come to a decision about his option at the end of the season. With prospects like Andy Pages working through the minors and expected to land in MLB soon, the Dodgers could get Margot off of their payroll, take a chance on some homegrown talent, and get a nice return from wherever they send him, or they could free up some money to afford a free agent upgrade.