4 relievers the Dodgers must trade for to solve bullpen woes

Jose Cisnero

Jose Cisnero is far from being the household name that Chapman is in the baseball world, but he would arguably be an even better addition than the hard-throwing southpaw. Cisnero would not fill the need for a reliable left-handed reliever but he'd still serve as a trusted arm that would be better than some of the other right-handed options the Dodgers have.

Cisnero has quietly put together a very good stretch of baseball for the Detroit Tigers dating back to the 2022 season. In 48.2 combined innings over the last two years, the 34-year-old is sporting a 1.85 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.

While his ERA was under two last season, Cisnero did struggle with walking batters and that's something that he has improved this season. After walking an average of 6.8 batters for every nine innings pitched last season, Cisnero is walking just 3.8 batters for every nine innings. That's better than several of the options currently in the Dodgers' pen.

The advanced metrics support Cisnero as a solid right-handed option as well. According to Baseball Savant, Cisnero ranks in the 88th percentile in barrel percentage, 82nd percentile in average exit velocity, and 72nd percentile in hard-hit rate. Batters don't hit Cisnero around the park, thanks in large part to a solid fastball.

Cisnero ranks in the 87th percentile in fastball spin rate and that's an attribute the Dodgers have proven they can maximize in a reliever. With an expected batting average of just .095 against his heater, the Dodgers may end up overlooking some of Cisnero's flaws to instead maximize what he's been great at this season.

Keynan Middleton

There are countless examples of struggling pitchers coming to the Dodgers and figuring out what was wrong (unfortunately, Noah Syndergaard definitely is not one of them). Keynan Middleton figured out his flaws without having to join the Dodgers, which could make him an even better trade target at this year's deadline.

The former third-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels showed a lot of potential during his initial stint in Southern California. However, he could not stay healthy or put together consecutive strong outings and it quickly looked like his MLB career would be a short one. From 2020 through 2022, Middleton threw just 60 innings and had a 5.10 ERA.

Middleton has completely turned it around in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox as one of the team's most utilized relievers out of the bullpen. In 22.1 innings pitched, Middleton is sporting a 2.01 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and is striking out a career-high 11.7 batters per nine innings.

The advanced metrics are even more favorable. Middleton ranks in the 92nd percentile in strikeout rate, the 91st percentile in chase rate, and the 98th percentile in whiff rate. This is not a small sample size fluke, either. There is a very distinct reason why Middleton has excelled: his changeup.

Middleton stopped throwing his mediocre fastball as often and has really leaned into his changeup. He went from throwing his changeup 17.1% of the time last season to 40.1% of the time this season. As a result, it has made his fastball better. The xBA of his fastball dropped nearly 200 points from 2022 to 2023.

This drastic change in pitching philosophy is something fans so often see on the Dodgers. Middleton would fit right in.

Brent Suter

Perhaps the best of all the options on this list is Brent Suter, but he's going to come at a much higher price. Not only do his numbers warrant a larger prospect return than the other players on this list, but the fact that he plays for the rivaled Colorado Rockies might increase the ask even more.

The Rockies aren't going anywhere this season, and trading Suter to the Dodgers as an expiring contract doesn't really change the trajectory of the franchise. But there's always an in-division tax, especially for the Dodgers. Los Angeles is going to have to pay more than other teams if they want to bring Suter in.

And it might just be worth it, as Suter has completely ignored the fact that he's playing at Coors Field and has quietly been one of the best relievers in the entire sport this season. The 33-year-old southpaw is sporting a 1.91 ERA and 1.09 ERA in 37.2 innings pitched this season, and that's with Coors Field inflating his numbers. Suter has a 0.47 ERA on the road this season.

He would be an absolute menace at Dodger Stadium with a solid defense behind him. While he may not strike out a lot of batters, he very rarely allows hard contact and essentially would be a much better version of Scott Alexander from five years ago.

Suter ranks in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel percentage. He ranks in the 89th percentile in expected batting average and the 97th percentile in expected slugging percentage. All with a wonky delivery that sees him throwing his changeup a career-high 28.6% of the time.

What makes Suter such a great addition on paper is his ability to pitch to both sides of the plate. The days of southpaw specialists are over and Suter is someone who has not only proven to pitch well to right-handed batters, but has actually been better against them this season. Lefties have a .648 OPS against Suter while righties have a .477 OPS.