4 relievers the Dodgers must trade for to solve bullpen woes

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.

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.