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The Los Angeles Dodgers have held onto their lead in the competitive National League West division but after a loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts has sounded an alarm.
The Dodgers bullpen gave up six runs in two innings to propel the team’s 11th loss in its last 14 games, soliciting boos from the home fans and a clear message from Roberts.
“It better be rock bottom as far as how we’ve been pitching, how we’ve been playing defense,” he said after the game, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
Earlier in the day, the Dodgers placed reliever Tanner Scott on the injured list with an elbow issue and the poor performances and extensive ailments are making it clear that the team will seek at least one high-leverage relief arm at the upcoming trade deadline.
“POBO Andrew Friedman doesn’t like overpaying at the trade deadline, but he doesn’t have much of a choice right now,” Mike Axisa wrote for CBS Sports. “The Dodgers are the most win-now team in the sport and the bullpen is a huge weakness.”
To fix that weakness in a big way, Axisa predicted the Dodgers would trade for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, the reigning National League Reliever of the Year Award winner.
“The Dodgers seem likely to add multiple relievers at the deadline,” Axisa added. “I’ll bet on Helsley being the most impactful.”
As a two-time All-Star, Helsley has the credentials to serve as a high-impact reliever addition for the Dodgers, though his campaign so far this year hasn’t lived up to last season’s performance. He has a 3.18 ERA with 19 saves in 27 games finished so far, though, and that would be good enough to instantly make him the Dodgers’ best closer option if he does join them in a trade.
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