Los Angeles Dodgers: Three options at closer with Kenley Jansen out

After issues with an irregular heartbeat upon his arrival in Denver, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will be out of action for a month.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were dealt a heavy blow Friday morning, reports trickled in saying that closer Kenley Jansen would be missing up to a month of baseball. During their Thursday nigh win against the Colorado Rockies, it was reported that Jansen had returned to Los Angeles after experiencing an irregular heartbeat.

Jansen had previously had ablation surgery to correct the condition in 2012. The team has yet to confirm the reports, but in 2012 Jansen missed a month of baseball and those reporting may just be assuming the same treatment and results.

For the Dodgers and their fans Jansen’s health is paramount to any results in the box score but with a little over 2 months of baseball left and in the middle of a tight pennant race in the NL West, the Dodgers have a lot to consider when it comes to closers.

Bullpen By Committee

The Dodgers may look to use a closer depending on the situation. If they face lefty heavy line up the Dodgers may use hard throwing Caleb Ferguson. Or if the situation calls for it John Axford a former closer who has left-handers only hitting .147 this season.

With Hyun Jin-Ryu already making rehab assignments, he may come back and find himself pitching effective innings in the bullpen or Julio Urias who was going to start in the bullpen when he was done rehabbing.

The point is that there are a lot of arms in the Dodgers bullpen and different situations could dictate who is closing.

Scott Alexander

The Dodgers may decide Scott Alexander will be the primary closer, he was able to close out the Rockies in the Dodgers win on Thursday night. Alexander is known as a ground ball pitcher who induces a lot of double plays.

With the homer-happy lifting ball strategy that is prevalent in today’s game, a pitcher who keeps the ball on the ground might be the most effective when trying to close out games. With a strong infield defense thanks to the acquisitions of Manny Machado and Brian Dozier, groundball pitching is the ideal for keeping runners off the base.

The only concern with Alexander is his Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde act. His ERA has been up and down every other month, having a 0.73 ERA in July, his 4.15 ERA in August already is a foreboding sign.

The Field

With the waiver trade deadline coming up the Dodgers still have some ability to acquire a reliever. Unfortunately, any move they make will be contingent on the player clearing waivers.

There is also very little out there to acquire after many of the best relievers were already dealt during the non-waiver trade period. One of the players the Dodgers were looking at during the trade period was the Miami Marlins Kyle Barraclough.

Unfortunately, he’s falling off a cliff and lost his closer role to 38-year-old Brad Ziegler, an 18.90 ERA in 30 days may scare teams away and giving the Dodgers a chance. If a move does occur on the market then maybe the Los Angeles Dodgers will rehab Barraclough.