The bullpen market has been hot so far in MLB free agency, with some of the top arms that were available already signing with new clubs.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been connected to multiple relief pitchers, but have yet to land one of their targets. That list included Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Helsley, who all signed new contracts.
Edwin Díaz remains in play as the top available option, but the Dodgers are unlikely to meet his demands. Outside of Díaz, Robert Suarez is the best relief pitcher still available in free agency.
The Dodgers have reportedly shown interest in Suarez, and would prefer a shorter-term deal for the closer who will be 35 years old on Opening Day, according to Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic:
Los Angeles has also shown interest in former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez, a source said, seeking to go for a shorter-term deal with a higher average annual value for the two-time All-Star (who has a 2.91 ERA over the last four seasons).
The Dodgers are certainly very familiar with the hard-thrower as he’s been with the San Diego Padres since 2022. The right-hander has just four years of MLB experience, all with the Padres, after pitching in Japan from 2018-2021.
Over the past two seasons, Suarez has 76 saves with 11 blown saves in 135 appearances with a 2.87 ERA. He has also struck out 25.4% of hitters while walking just 6.1% in that stretch, and has limited home runs well.
Suarez is expected to receive a two-or three-year contract worth around $15-16 million, according to FanGraphs projections.
Robert Suarez threw at Shohei Ohtani
Last season, Suarez was suspended and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing a pitch at Shohei Ohtani. That led to the benches clearing and both Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Padres manager Mike Shildt being ejected, fined and suspended.
Suarez denied throwing at Ohtani intentionally. Roberts disagreed with that stance.
“I mean, it’s 3-0, and again, this is a right-handed pitcher going across court to hit Shohei up and in,” Roberts said. “That’s a hard throw. And I don’t know how many left-hand hitters Suarez has hit with the fastball, but clearly there was intent behind it.”
Ohtani and Suarez later shared jokes about it at the All-Star Game, and the Dodgers’ two-way superstar understood the reason for being hit at the time.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
