Reorganizing Dave Roberts' bullpen trust tree after Dodgers reveal Edwin Díaz timeline

Edwin Díaz hardly looked like himself for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and when he sat out an entire week in mid-April, we all knew something was up. Upon his return to the mound against the Colorado Rockies, he failed to record an out and surrendered three runs. Following the game, the Dodgers hit everyone with this ominous message:

In a devastating break of bad fortune, we now know that this injury will require surgery, meaning Díaz will be out until the second half, per ESPN. In the wake of the injury, manager Dave Roberts wouldn't name a ninth-inning replacement, opting instead for a closer-by-committee: "I do feel comfortable with a handful of guys, really, that I feel can close out games for us. So, right now, I'm not going to name a closer."

This is the kind of key injury that can derail a season, so it's a good thing that the Dodgers are used to losing star players for long stretches. It's also a good thing that, despite Roberts' hesitancy, there are capable options in the relief corps to fill Díaz's void.

Dodgers can lean on Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia to fill hole left by Edwin Díaz

Even when accounting for Díaz's 10.50 ERA, the Dodgers' bullpen still ranks a respectable 15th in ERA (4.06), sixth in FIP (3.35), fifth in fWAR (0.9), and eighth in strikeout rate (25.3%). You'd like to see them trend a bit higher given that they employ one of the league's most expensive units, but a top-10 relief corps in most categories is going to get the job done.

A lot of that credit belongs to Tanner Scott, who has a 1.04 ERA and has yet to walk a batter in 10 appearances. He's the obvious choice to replace Díaz as the closer, seeing as he filled that role last year with the Dodgers en route to 23 saves.

However, it's been Alex Vesia that's earned the faith of Roberts thus far, locking down both save opportunities during Díaz's week off. He's been terrific this year, sporting a scoreless report card over 10 appearances. Add fellow southpaw Jack Dreyer (1.93 ERA) to the mix, and you have a trio of left-handed leverage relievers to rely on.

Beyond that group, though, it's hard to see many others convincing Roberts to give them a save opportunity in the coming months. Blake Treinen has the most experience (82 career saves) but also an FIP above 4.70 since the beginning of last season. Will Klein has been steady this year (2.79 ERA) but has pitched all of 32 1/3 innings at the big-league level. That same inexperience doesn't seem to be hurting Dreyer's standings, but you can allow throw so many young pups to the wolves at one time.

Maybe once a few of the injured contingent returns — namely Brock Stewart and Brusdar Graterol — Roberts can expand his circle of trust to include more than just a couple of relievers. For now, it's about surviving until Díaz returns to the fold.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow