What to Expect from the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline

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The Dodgers do not care about another NL West division title. They care about winning the last game in October. With one of the best teams in the league already, it’s hard seeing where they need drastic improvement. If you ask one of their fans, they’ll say its their bullpen just like any other fanbase out there. But they might actually be right.

No help needed in the lineup

The Dodgers definitely don’t need anymore help in their lineup. Their lineup could be the National League All Star lineup. Despite being rather streaky at times, no one should ever look at the Dodgers and say that their lineup needs help. Taylor, Betts, Bellinger, Turner, Muncy, and Seager make up 2/3’s of the lineup.

The Dodgers definitely don’t need anymore help in their rotation either. They arguably have the best rotation in baseball so they are not looking to spend anymore resources there. Kershaw, Buehler, Bauer, Urias, and Gonsolin are as solid of a rotation as you’ll ever see. However, it will be interesting to see how their performances change now that sticky substances are banned. Either way, this isn’t an area the Dodgers should be worried about.

Dodgers’ bullpen is good but not great

The bullpen is surprisingly a different story. While Dodger fans might be reluctant to admit this, their bullpen has been relatively good. Their ERA in 2021 sits at 3.79 which many teams would gladly accept. To compare, Dodger starters’ have a 3.09 ERA. Obviously the rotation is better stacked but the bullpen isn’t bad either.

However if we were the GM for the Dodgers, this is where we would make our moves. This is the only place where the Dodgers could use some slight help. So who’s on the market that they can get? Well we don’t have to look to far from Los Angeles to find a suitable candidate. In fact, he’s a short freeway trip away.

Neighborly love?

The Angels have already been tied in with the Dodgers. Pujols joined the Dodgers after being surprisingly let go by the Angels. If you look at Pujols’ stats, then it’s not that surprising, but if you look at the payroll, then it is very surprising.

Either way, the deal has seemingly worked out great for both of them. With the Angels on pace to be sellers at the deadline, they can let go some of their bullpen pieces to provide some more stability for the Dodgers. The reliever the Dodgers should go for is Raisel Iglesias. He currently owns a 4.02 ERA so some Dodger fans might be scratching their head.

Raisel Iglesias is who the Dodgers need

With that ERA, the Dodgers’ bullpen ERA is slated to increase so why would he help? Because he’s getting better and that ERA can make him relatively cheap. Raisel Iglesias got off to a slow start, putting up a 6.00 ERA in April. However, since then he’s been able to put up a 3.00 ERA in May and 3.48 ERA in June. Couple that with the excellent pitching coaches that the Dodgers have, he can be a pillar in their bullpen as they defend their title.

Of course, the Angels would ask for a pitching prospect in return which the Dodgers have an arsenal of.