Los Angeles Dodgers: The biggest storylines for the second half of spring

3. Who gets left out of the bullpen?

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a stretch last season where the bullpen was a disaster and it appeared as if that would be the team’s biggest weakness. Los Angeles then went out and outpitched a steller Milwaukee Brewers bullpen in the NLCS to scratch their way to the World Series.

It was clear then that Dave Roberts did not have many arms that he actually trusted in the bullpen as he repeatedly called on Ryan Madson, who repeatedly allowed his inherited runners to score.

It appears right now that Roberts is going to have plenty of arms to call on in 2019 and that is naturally going to leave not one, but multiple people out. The team will go with either a seven or eight-man bullpen, with the seven route seeming more likely.

Let’s get through the surefire locks. We have Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly and either Ross Stripling or Kenta Maeda (whoever doesn’t start).

Those are just the three locks. From there we have Pedro Baez, who likely will make the team. Tony Cingrani and/or Scott Alexander are going to be the southpaw specialist, if not both.

You have the emergence of Yimi Garcia and his great showing, the question mark that is Brock Stewart, the possibility of Urias being out of the bullpen and the young arms with great stuff, such as JT Chargois and Dylan Floro.

There is also the new guy, Jaime Shultz, who has not allowed a run this spring. What about the young arm in Caleb Ferguson? That right there is 13 guys to fight for eight (at most) spots.

The last two weeks of spring training is going to serve as a battleground to determine who makes the cut for the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen.