The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the Winter Meetings with most of its World Series core intact for the 2018 season and beyond. Among the club’s most notable departures thus far is former setup man Brandon Morrow, who inked a two-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.
Morrow enjoyed a career-year for the Dodgers last season, serving as the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen. Midseason acquisition Tony Watson, who emerged as one of the club’s go-to left-handed specialists, also reached free agency and is expected to receive a lucrative contract elsewhere.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made it clear that the Dodgers are prioritizing relief help this offseason, and downplayed the notion of acquiring another starting pitcher.
General manager Farhan Zaidi further revealed that the club is targeting bullpen arms of the value type, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Zaidi said the club's search for relief help is focused on the value end, not the top end.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) December 12, 2017
Free-agent relievers have been a hot commodity this offseason, with many landing hefty deals in the early going. The Colorado Rockies have reportedly reached agreements with a couple arms in Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw, and may also be close to re-signing their closer from last year, Greg Holland.
The Philadelphia Phillies have splurged on late-inning relievers as well, dishing out multi-year contracts to Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek. As a result, the free-agent market for relief help has drastically dwindled down, with Wade Davis and Addison Reed among the most notable names still out there.
Lesser-type relievers that can potentially be signed for a bargain include Matt Albers, Steve Cishek, Boone Logan and Joe Smith. The Dodgers could also explore the trade market for bullpen help, as the Baltimore Orioles may shop Brad Brach and Zach Britton, while the Tampa Bay Rays have dangled Alex Colome in talks.
Zaidi noted that the Dodgers are more likely to make a trade during the Winter Meetings, rather than sign a free agent.
