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.

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.

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.