Fatal flaw: Every MLB contender has a weak spot
By Bill Felber
Los Angeles Dodgers
Make no mistake, the Dodgers remain formidable. That’s true even with the loss of ace Trevor Bauer.
But it is also increasingly evident that the Dodgers are a team with a potentially fatal flaw. There is one standout weakness, and it’s an area that has sunk better teams with post-season aspirations: the bullpen.
The closer, Kenley Jansen, is carrying a respectable 2.97 ERA. But Jansen is just 1-4 and he’s allowed 1.4 baserunners per inning, largely due to his unreliable control. He’s walked 27 opponents in less than 40 innings this season.
The supporting cast – Blake Treinen, Joe Kelly, David Price, Jimmy Nelson — is veteran-laden. But their performance, too, has often been in-and-out.
The sum total of Dodger bullpen efforts in 2021 works out to -2.6 WAA. By MLB standards, that’s bottom third. Compare that with the far more reliable Dodger starters, who are at +5.6 WAA. Overall, Dodger pitchers remain an asset, but a compromised one.
Relief pitchers are an abundant asset on the trade market this week. Some, notably Andrew Chafin, have already been claimed but others remain available. It will be a major surprise, and a major mistake, if Dodgers’ team President Andrew Friedman doesn’t lay claim to at least one big-name arm by week’s end.