On the first day of the 2015 Winter Meetings the Los Angeles Dodgers reached an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds to trade for closer Aroldis Chapman. The Dodgers intended to pair the flamethrower in the back of the bullpen with Kenley Jansen.
However, a report of Chapman’s involvement in an alleged domestic violence incident put the trade on hold, and eventually scrubbed the deal. Chapman was later shipped to the New York Yankees before finishing the season with the Chicago Cubs.
One offseason later, the Dodgers can revisit their approach of stashing two closers in their bullpen. But it won’t come without some groundwork — significant financial commitment — as Jansen is a free agent, and a little good fortune.
The second piece to the puzzle is Greg Holland, who missed all of this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2015.
The former Kansas City Royals closer held a showcase on Monday, which was Holland’s first public throwing session since last year’s operation.
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Dodgers were on hand, and Holland’s performance was encouraging:
The Dodgers, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Phillies also had a presence, among others.
The consensus was Holland looked healthy. He threw exclusively fastballs and sliders. His fastball was mainly 89-90 mph, well short of his 95.5 mph career average. But as one scout in attendance said: “He had good extension, which suggests he is healthy. This is his fastball in November, 13 months after surgery — it will be something else in spring training. But this is the key now: What does he look like in four months? That is really what you are trying to figure out.”
Chapman and Jansen are widely expected to sign multiyear contracts that will easily exceed the four-year, $50 million deal Jonathan Papelbon received in 2011. Mark Melancon is the next highly-rated closer available.
There’s assumed risk with Holland considering the Tommy John surgery, but he’s not far removed from success. In 2015, Holland converted 32 saves and pitched to a 3.83 ERA, 3.27 FIP and 1.46 WHIP.
He was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014, recording a combined 93 saves with a 1.32 ERA and averaging 13.4 strikeouts per nine innings during that span.
Holland certainly wouldn’t replace potentially missing out on Chapman, Jansen or Melancon, but he could provide a lift similar to Brian Wilson’s contributions in 2013.
