The Los Angeles Dodgers have a bullpen problem. It reared its ugly head again on Thursday when the Cleveland Guardians put up five runs in the eighth inning to steal a 7-4 victory.
Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, and Kirby Yates are all on the Injured List, which is proving to be a problem. The starting pitching is not getting deep enough into games, and a $72 million contract to Tanner Scott is looking more and more like a mistake every day.
The Dodgers need to make some changes. They need some reinforcements. Sam Carlson and Jack Little are two deserving arms currently in Triple-A. I also wouldn't hate it if the front office got aggressive and swung a trade to get in front of the market.
All I can say for sure is that the Dodgers need to make some moves and Chris Stratton, who has not even appeared in a game yet for the Dodgers, is the first guy that needs to go.
Chris Stratton should be first arm exiled from Dodgers bullpen
Stratton was signed to a major league contract by the Dodgers on May 25. He has not appeared in game action yet...but there's a reason he was a free agent in the first place.
After opening the season with the Kansas City Royals, Stratton was designated for assignment and eventually released by Kansas City in mid-May. He had a 7.94 ERA in 17 innings pitched with the Royals.
In 2024, Stratton made 57 appearances as a bullpen regular for Kansas City and had an ERA of 5.55. That's a total ERA of 6.04 in his last 69 appearances and 75.1 MLB innings...that's not a major league arm. His analytics profile from 2024 is even more damning than those other statistics.
Stratton is 34 years old. His 4.63 career ERA is nothing to write home about. I see little reason for the Dodgers to use a roster spot on him when they have younger arms with more upside sitting in the minor leagues.
If any of the more established relievers on the team come back, there is a reliever called up, or the Dodgers swing a trade, Stratton needs to be the first guy let go.
As frustrating as Scott has been to watch, he's in the first year of a $72 million contract. Jack Dreyer, Luis Garcia, Anthony Banda, and Alex Vesia have all been serviceable this season. Ben Casparius has been huge in a multi-inning role.
Lou Trivino was brutal with the Giants, but has been productive since coming to L.A. and has a track record of success in the big leagues.
If the Dodgers are going to make an addition to the bullpen - which they absolutely should - Stratton is expendable.
Given the team's payroll and the star-studded roster that they came into the season with, there's no excuse for the Dodgers being the third or fourth best team in the National League. The bullpen is a big reason for that, and when you're in a World Series window, it shouldn't be tolerated.