A team can have a dominant lineup and a dominant starting pitching staff, but that is not enough. For a team to win a World Series, the bullpen needs to be just as strong.
Nothing is worse than building a lead and having the bullpen blow it at the end of the game. Sorry to any Indians fans who had any flashbacks to the 1997 World Series after that sentence.
The 2016 Indians have a decent bullpen, led by closer Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, but both have had their struggles this year.
It is to be expected that the bullpen will lose several games throughout a season, but this group lacks a dominant pitcher that is able to consistently shut down opposing offenses. More specifically, the group lacks a dominant left-handed pitcher to come out of the bullpen.
Kyle Crockett and Ross Detwiler were two lefties given chances this season, but neither could find any success when given the opportunity.
With the success of both the starting rotation and the lineup, this seems to be the only true need the Indians have right now. Allen and Shaw, along with Dan Otero, Zach McAllister and Jeff Manship are all right-handed, so finding a late-inning left-handed reliever could help the team in specific situations.
It is tough for manager Terry Francona when a strong left-handed hitter comes to the plate and he has no one to go to for the lefty-lefty matchup, which is why the front office needs to help him out and find him one or two players who can fill that void.
Next: San Francisco Giants Trade Deadline Overview
Acquiring this talent can be done by trading prospects, as taking any of the current starters would do more to hurt the team than to help. Now that the team has a solid foundation in Cleveland, a few prospects can afford to be let go as the team tries to compete for a World Series in 2016.