Pitching has long been the one constant of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-year postseason streak. Regardless of how the rest of the roster looked, fans knew that they could trust a strong pitching staff to keep the Dodgers in just about every game.
That hasn't totally been the case this season. The second-place Dodgers have battled a laundry list of injuries in the starting rotation that have been compounded by an underperforming bullpen. The struggling bullpen has negated one of the best offenses in the sport and has single-handedly lost too many games to count this season.
At the time of writing, the Dodgers' bullpen has the third-worst ERA, eighth-worst WHIP, and has allowed the third-most home runs in the sport. Something needs to change. Luckily, the team has the trade deadline to make some in-season additions.
4 relievers the Dodgers must trade for to solve the bullpen woes
Aroldis Chapman
Aroldis Chapman is the first name that jumps off of any reliever trade target list. The Kansas City Royals signed Chapman for this very reason and it's undeniable he's going to be dealt before the trade deadline in 2023.
Chapman was coming off of an unceremonious exit with the New York Yankees after which it looked like his days as a viable bullpen option were over. While he's by no means the Chapman of five years ago, he has proven in 2023 that he still has plenty to offer as a bullpen arm.
Chapman is sporting a 2.82 ERA in 22.1 innings pitched this season. His WHIP is still concerningly high at 1.343 but the rise in his strikeout rate has helped counteract some of the woes from last season. Chapman went from striking out 10.7 batters per nine innings in 2022 to 15.3 batters in 2023.
The Royals knew that the team wasn't going to contend this season and was mostly signing Chapman with the hope that he would re-discover his form and get the organization some prospects in July. And they might've hit the jackpot if the Dodgers are interested.