Unlike the starting rotation which has the luxury of looking forward to the return of several potential impact arms from injury, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen has very few options of improving from within, and could be stuck with the same corps of relievers until the hot stove season begins to heat up later in the summer.
Continue reading “No Relief in Sight for Dodgers’ Erratic Bullpen”
The Los Angeles Dodgers received a bit of good news in the injury department on Friday, learning that top-five prospect Frankie Montas has been throwing comfortably in extended spring training, and will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Tulsa on Saturday.
Continue reading “Dodgers Bullpen: Frankie Montas Ready for Rehab Work”
Although it seems like he’s been around forever, it’s difficult to believe that lefty phenom Julio Urias is still only 19 years of age. Having begun his professional career with Low-A Great Lakes in 2013, the Dodgers‘ top pitching prospect has zipped to the peak of Triple-A Oklahoma City‘s starting rotation in less than three full seasons, and could be primed to make a big league appearance sooner than many think.
Continue reading “Can Julio Urías Save the Los Angeles Dodgers Bullpen?”
Several changes may be coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff in the foreseeable future. With the peak of the hot stove season still about a month and change away, the club will utilize other avenues — most specifically, waiver claims, players returning from the disabled list, and promotions from the farm system — in hopes of creating a more effective corps of throwers.
Continue reading “Changes Ahead for Dodgers’ Pitching Staff”
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After observing an offseason managerial change, a near total makeover to the coaching staff, and a few tweaks in terms of player personnel, fans across Dodgertown began the 2016 regular season with a fresh attitude and a revived sense of enthusiasm.
Continue reading “Weighing the Options of Improving the Dodgers Bullpen”
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With only a handful of days remaining before the Dodgers officially submit their 25-man roster, the bullpen remains one of the few areas that has stayed relatively healthy throughout the spring, and outside of maybe one possible bubble player, is in its final stages of being a finished product — at least for the beginning of the season.
Continue reading “Projecting the Dodgers’ 2016 Opening Day Bullpen”
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When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed right-handed reliever Louis Coleman to a one-year, $725,000 deal last month, it didn’t create much buzz among the fan base, much less indicate any type of significant upgrade in the bullpen. However, after a careful analysis of the possible roles he could play in the 2016 Dodgers bullpen, Coleman may be considered a lock for the 25-man roster come Opening Day.
Continue reading “Dodgers Bullpen: Making a Case for Louis Coleman”
It seems like it happens every single year. This year, it just happened a little bit later. The Dodgers go shopping and sign a handful of scrappy, veteran, middle relievers to help fill out what projected to be an extremely young bullpen.
Ned Colletti was notorious for this. The winter of 2010-11 comes to mind in particular, when the former GM went on a spree in an attempt to re-invent the relief corps, signing a group of veterans that were either unrecognized or weary from many years of service. A few of the players in the haul included Matt Guerrier, Merkin Valdez, Roman Colon, Ron Mahay, Jon Huber, Oscar Villarreal and Mike MacDougal. Although Guerrier and MacDougal generated a bit of success, most were non-roster invitees who persevered through spring training only to be sent packing upon the arrival of Opening Day.
Assembling the 2014 bullpen was one of the chief factors in Colletti’s demise as general manager. Overall, everyone not named Kenley Jansen, Chris Withrow or J.P. Howell performed horribly. The Dodgers paid former closers Brian Wilson $10 million, Chris Perez $2.3 million and Brandon League $8.5 million. The team’s $30-plus million bullpen contained several high profile names, but significantly less talent than there should have been at that price.
While acquiring a few veteran players for minimal dollars who are willing to teach and share experiences is always beneficial, spending lavishly on a laundry list of high-profile, prominent headliners past their primes always proves to be detrimental in the end.
Last season sparked a few memories, as one commonly wondered if Colletti, now a senior advsior to team president Stan Kasten, played a role building the pen with his antiquated beliefs and philosophies. The 2014-15 NRI relievers included David Aardsma, Mike Adams, Ryan Buchter, Chad Gaudin, David Huff, Ben Rowen and Sergio Santos. Huff and Santos were able to contribute on very small scales, while the others migrated away from Los Angeles and either retired or pursued other opportunities.
The 2016 offseason had a feel for the first time in years that the youth of the Dodgers’ organization would shoulder the brunt of the relief duties. At one point, a deal for flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman seemed like it would elevate the bullpen to an elite level; however, the front office eventually used its best judgement and declined a surefire trade, leaving the impression that the existing corps would need to fend for themselves.
Ultimately, the Dodgers would make only three notable free agent signings in efforts to strengthen the bullpen — Joe Blanton, Louis Coleman and Jamey Wright. The Blanton and Coleman deals were both one-year, MLB contracts, while the Wright signing was minor league in nature with an invite to spring training.
Wright, a 19-year major league veteran, has pitched with 10 teams, including two separate stints with the Dodgers. He had no offers from other clubs after being cut at the end of spring training by the Rangers last year.
Coleman appeared in just four games for the Royals in 2015, allowing no earned runs. The bulk of his season was spent in Triple-A Omaha, where he recorded a 1.69 ERA in 38 relief appearances, striking out 63 and walking 23 in 64 innings of work. In parts of five seasons with Kansas City, Coleman has a 3.20 ERA in 152 games, all in relief.
After posting a 6.04 ERA in 132 innings with the Angels in 2013, Blanton retired and was out of baseball for the entirety of the 2014 season. He rediscovered his mechanics last year and settled in as a reliever with the Royals before being dealt to the Pirates for cash at the trade deadline.
Although Blanton projects to play an active role as long man in the bullpen, the true value of all three of these veterans goes well beyond the numbers. They have an opportunity to exhibit professionalism, share real game experiences, offer advice on workout routines and critique pitching mechanics — things that the young pitchers in the organization need to develop their own personal acumens.
This is the part of baseball where all the sabermetric analysis in the world has no value.
A good friend of TBPC, Todd Boldizsar, had an opportunity to get up close and personal with Blanton, which further illustrates the wealth and knowledge a veteran player has to offer his teammates, especially young relievers like Jacob Rhame, Caleb Dirks, Chris Anderson and Jharel Cotton — all of whom are attending big league camp for the first time in their careers.
In the end, sometimes the few million dollars spent on contracts and the mediocre statistics should take a backseat to the valuable experience that these veterans possess, and most importantly, the desire and willingness they have to share with others on the squad.
After all, the youth in the Dodgers’ organization deserve nothing less.
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Just when we thought the youth would shoulder a large portion of the 2016 relief duties, the Los Angeles Dodgers went shopping on Tuesday and walked away with veteran righty Joe Blanton.
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was first to report the one-year deal, which is worth a guaranteed base salary of $4 million. In addition, Blanton could earn $250K in incentives by pitching 50 innings, another $250K for 60 innings, and a further $500K if he eclipses the 70-inning mark.
After posting a 6.04 ERA in 132 innings with the Angels in 2013, Blanton retired and was out of baseball for the entirety of the 2014 season. He rediscovered his mechanics last year and settled in as a reliever with the Royals before being dealt to the Pirates for cash at the trade deadline.
In 2015 with the Royals and Pirates combined, Blanton recorded a 2.04 ERA and a 2.56 FIP in 32 relief appearances, with 62 strikeouts and 12 walks in 57 innings of work.
Blanton, who turned 35 last month, dominated right-handed hitters last season, holding them to a .204 BA and a .239 wOBA, thanks primarily to his reinvented slider.
This will be his second stint as a Dodger, having gone 2-4 with a 4.99 ERA in 10 starts in 2012 after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Phillies.
Blanton projects to be a long man/swing man type for the Dodgers this year, but the deal leaves many fans scratching their heads, especially considering the needs at the back end of the bullpen. Maybe the underlying reasoning was to replace the departed Juan Nicasio, even with Carlos Frias and Mike Bolsinger both being very capable in that capacity.
Newcomers Frankie Montas and Yaisel Sierra, who are both believed to be major league-ready and are valued highly as prospective starters, may have benefited tremendously from a swing man spot as their introductory role in the bigs.
Also, if Hyun-jin Ryu returns healthy and slots into the rotation immediately, Alex Wood could be the odd man out. Rather than sliding into a long man role, he’d be optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma, where a huge, overcrowded situation already exists with starting pitching.
In light of everything, the front office could be guarding against a possible injury epidemic; or, perhaps a trade worthy of a much bigger headline may be on the horizon — conceivably in the form of a Mark Melancon or Jake McGee-type acquisition.
All the fun begins when pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch exactly one month from today.
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After primarily focusing on starting pitching and other numerous depth pieces so far this winter, the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ roster is beginning to get the feel of being almost complete and polished enough to contend for a pennant in 2016.
One area that still may be a concern in the eyes of many fans is the bullpen. On paper, it really doesn’t look all that bad, but based on injury potential and the results of seasons past, one or two solid upgrades could set the Dodgers apart from the rest of the division.
Notice the operative word is “solid.” Every year it seems the front office takes a gamble on a handful of NRIs hoping that one of them has rediscovered themselves and potentially makes a difference in the pen. Last year it was David Aardsma, Mike Adams, Ryan Buchter, Chad Gaudin, David Huff, Ben Rowen and Sergio Santos, but in the end none proved to be valuable enough to contribute for the duration of the season.
The high-profile veteran arms on the free agent market are always another option, but based on the salaries awarded for the talent that was available this offseason, it’s understandable that the Dodgers have passed on the bigger names. Run-of-the-mill relievers like Darren O’Day, Joakim Soria, Tony Sipp, Steve Cishek and Ryan Madson have all signed lucrative, multi-year deals, but erring on the side of caution with this group seemed to be the wisest choice for the Dodgers.
At one point, imagining Aroldis Chapman bringing up the rear of the Dodgers’ bullpen made every fan’s heart flutter with anticipation; however, the front office eventually used its best judgement and declined a surefire trade. Firemen like Jake McGee and Andrew Miller were also thought to be available in prospective deals, but ultimately their respective teams wanted a ton more than what they were perceived to be worth.
With a few exceptions, internal options always proved to be gold mines for the Dodgers, especially in the bullpen. With veterans Juan Nicasio and Joel Peralta having been swept aside, the Dodgers will need the youth to step higher. Considering the wealth of talent on the farm, it may not even be an issue.
Assuming the Dodgers utilize a seven-man pen to open the season, the current lineup features Carlos Frias, Yimi Garcia, Luis Avilan, Pedro Baez, Chris Hatcher, J.P. Howell and Kenley Jansen. This group is very young in itself, with everyone except Howell and Hatcher being 28 years old or younger.
Adam Liberatore, Josh Ravin and Ian Thomas are waiting in the wings if needed, but the real talent may lie even deeper in the farm system.
The Dodgers’ brass seems intent on trying new additions Frankie Montas and Yaisel Sierra as starters, but based on reported fastball velocities and other factors in scouting reports, their underlying talent may eventually reveal bullpen potential.
Jharel Cotton and Chris Anderson were also utilized as relievers late last year, and may be used in similar roles in 2016 based on the congestion in the starting rotation at Oklahoma City.
In light of everything mentioned above, the Dodgers have a multitude of talent available to contribute the bullpen — at least on paper. Looking towards the future, 2017 seems to be stacking up to be even more exciting, and could possibly feature a starting rotation and a bullpen rising towards being the best in the bigs.
After all, that was the plan all along.
(Photo Credit: sportingnews.com)
Think Blue Planning Committee 