After a string of seasons where it was viewed as the weak point of the team, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen rose to the occasion in 2016 and finished the year as one of the best groups in baseball.
Dodgers relievers posted a combined 3.35 ERA — leading the Majors, fourth-best FIP (3.55), the most strikeouts (633) and second-best WAR (6.5). That was despite pacing all bullpens with 590.2 innings and using 23 different relief pitchers.
While Kenley Jansen factored prominently into that success and was re-signed earlier this offseason, the Dodgers were looking to fill in remaining voids.
One answer may be former San Francisco Giants closer Sergio Romo, who agreed to terms with the Dodgers, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network:
Source: Sergio Romo, #Dodgers agree on contract. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 4, 2017
On Thursday, Romo was said to be deciding between signing with the Dodgers or an unidentified second club. According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the second team remains involved for the 33-year-old:
still likely SoCal native Romo will pick dodgers, but mystery team recently raised bid. meanwhile, SR pitching for Mexico
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 4, 2017
Romo appeared in 40 games for the Giants last season, recording four saves and pitching to a 2.64 ERA, 3.80 FIP and 1.08 WHIP. Though, he did miss a significant portion of the first half of the season due to a flexor strain. As a result, Romo logged just 30.2 innings on the year.
Over the past nine seasons with the Giants, Romo was 32-26 with 84 saves, a 2.58 ERA, 2.71 FIP and 0.95 WHIP in 439.2 innings pitched. He converted a career-high 38 saves and was named an All-Star in 2013.
Other former Giants to make the jump to Los Angeles include Jeff Kent, Jason Schmidt, Juan Uribe and Brian Wilson.
It’s unclear if Romo’s addition eliminates the possibility of the Dodgers re-signing Joe Blanton. For Romo, a Brawley, Calif., native, it marks a homecoming, as he attended games at Dodger Stadium as a child.
