Although the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to sign Shohei Ohtani and have interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto as part of a goal to improve their starting rotation, other areas of the roster need to be addressed as well.
Among them are the corner outfield positions, and the Dodgers are also said to have interest in a potential Willy Adames trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. Furthermore, L.A. has been linked to Yariel Rodríguez, who could be utilized as a relief pitcher or starter.
Another potential option for the Dodgers bullpen is Robert Stephenson, who additionally has interest from the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network:
RHP Robert Stephenson has been one of the most popular free-agent relievers this offseason, sources say.
Stephenson, who had a 0.678 WHIP over 42 appearances with the Rays this year, is drawing interest from the Dodgers, Cubs, and Angels, among other teams.@MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 27, 2023
Stephenson began the 2023 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates but was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in June for Alika Williams.
He went a combined 3-4 with a 3.10 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 0.88 WHIP and a 38.3% strikeout rate across 60 appearances. Stephenson had career-best marks in ERA, WHIP, strikeout percentage, games and opponents’ batting average (.162), among other statistics.
The bulk of Stephenson’s success came after being traded to the Rays. He dealt with right arm discomfort during Spring Training and began the season on the 15-day injured list, which resulted in making just 18 appearances for the Pirates. During that span, the right-hander went 0-3 with a 5.14 ERA and had a 13.1% walk rate.
Stephenson was a first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2011 MLB Draft and appeared on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list four years in a row from 2013-2016, peaking at No. 19 in 2014. Stephenson made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2016 as a starting pitcher but converted to a bullpen role in 2019.
Potential Robert Stephenson contract
A breakout season came at an opportune time for Stephenson, who appears to be in line for a multi-year contract that could exceed $30 million in total value.
The Dodgers bullpen is on track to return most of its key contributors from 2023, which would seemingly make Stephenson somewhat of a luxury.
The Dodgers did decline their team options on Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly and Alex Reyes, but elected to bring Blake Treinen back for 2024.
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