Since the beginning of the offseason, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has made it clear the bullpen and right-handed hitting are two areas of need to be addressed in free agency or trades.
Friedman has already started to work on improving the bullpen, adding under-the-radar relievers with high ceilings such as Corey Knebel and Brandon Morrow.
The team has yet to spend any significant resources though, and with Blake Treinen, Pedro Baez, Jake McGee and Alex Wood all still available in free agency, there are moves to be made if they want the bullpen to be a strong suit next season.
The best name available on the market is Liam Hendriks, who served as the Oakland Athletics’ closer the last couple of seasons. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Dodgers are among the teams continuing to show interest in Hendriks’ services:
Dodgers have strong interest in free-agent reliever Liam Hendriks, according to league sources. Hendriks is visiting the Blue Jays complex in Dunedin today and is drawing interest from the White Sox, among others.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 4, 2021
If the Dodgers are to sign Hendriks, it presumably will not come cheap considering he is one of the best relievers in all of baseball and is receiving a lot of interest around the league.
Hendricks may be on the verge of turning 32 years old, but the righty has not shown any signs of slowing down in recent years. He had a career year in 2019, posting a 1.80 ERA, 1.87 FIP and 0.97 WHIP with 124 strikeouts and 21 walks in 85 innings across 75 appearances.
He followed that up with another great year in 2020, pitching to a 1.78 ERA, 1.14 FIP and 0.67 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and three walks 25.1 innings across 24 games.
Given the Dodgers’ uncertainty at the closer position with Kenley Jansen’s decline in recent years, adding a quality arm such as Hendriks could pay huge dividends in locking down the backend of their bullpen.
If the price tag gets too high though, then re-signing Treinen or another quality reliever on the free-agent market would be a solid backup plan for L.A.
Dodgers showing interest in LeMahieu
To address the Dodgers’ another need, a right-handed bat, the team is reportedly showing continued interest in DJ LeMahieu.
Retaining Justin Turner is likely still their top option, but if they are far apart on a contract, which reportedly is the case, then LeMahieu would represent a quality, younger option to play third base moving forward.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events and more!
