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Francisco Rodriguez Would Be A Perfect Addition To The Dodgers

By Pablo Jacobo

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The waiver trade deadline could be a huge opportunity for the Los Angeles Dodgers to upgrade their bullpen. A few options could be out there but one in particular stands out.

The bullpen has been a thorn for the Los Angeles Dodgers the past few seasons. No matter what the front office does, they just can’t seem to get it right. It’s not from a lack of effort, LA has brought players in to assist Kenley Jansen but sadly to no avail.

LA should be aggressive on the waiver wire and find a solution to this growing issue. Many players are put on waivers to gauge interest around the league which can be a precursor to a future trade in the off-season. We all remember how the Dodgers landed Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford a few years back in the massive blockbuster trade at the waiver trade deadline.

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I’m not advocating another huge trade but their 4.10 bullpen ERA is troubling especially for a team with championship hopes. The Dodgers boast two of the best pitchers in baseball in Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke but after that… we’ll move on. In the past those two aces hasn’t been enough.

A player who may be on the wire is Francisco Rodriguez of the NL Central bottom feeding Milwaukee Brewers. They are not going anywhere this season and may be ready to shed some salary of their books.

K-Rod is the perfect 8th inning reliever to bridge over to Jansen. Rodriguez was instrumental in the Angels’ title-winning campaign in 2002. His fiery personality and hard-throwing fastballs would add a scary dynamic duo in the closing stages of a playoff game.

Jim Johnson, Joel Peralta, Chris Hatcher, Adam Liberatore have been meh. J.P. Howell, Yimi Garcia and Sergio Avilan have been steady and even closer Jansen has been shaky at times. The bullpen as currently constructed will not get it done in my opinion. They have blown 17 saves and allowed 37 home runs this season. That will not get it done.

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    • Adding 33-year-old Rodriguez and his 1.90 ERA to that bullpen and things look way better. The 2015 All-Star has been solid this year for the Brewers and has a reasonable contract. He’s making a modest $3.5M this year and will have about $9M left thru 2017. A modest investment for a team in dire need of bullpen help.

    The Dodgers are paying $87.5M to players that are not playing for the team now. Adding Rodriguez and his 29 saves to a bullpen that has only 32 saves for the year would be a huge upgrade. It would a monumental addition to bolster their bullpen.

    LA has the third-worst ERA in the NL and with the defending champion San Francisco Giants sniffing their tail, every game from hear on out will be crucial. They currently hold a three game lead over their division rivals.

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    Here’s an interesting stat for Dodger fans. In 42 innings pitched, K-Rod has not blown a save in 2015 and has only allowed one home run. Rodriguez simply gets the job done.  He had 44 saves for the Brewers last season and is enjoying a nice solid season this campaign.

    In the end, it may be difficult for the Dodgers to land Rodriguez thru waivers. First of all we don’t know if Milwaukee is going to (or has placed) K-Rod on the wire. Second with so many playoff-hopeful teams looking to add to their roster, the chances of Rodriguez falling to the 67-win Dodgers are slim. Some team would surely place a claim on the closer.

    Still, if he were available the Dodgers should spare no expense to bring Rodriguez back to Southern California.

    Next: Dodgers Entering Crux Of 2015

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