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The Los Angeles Dodgers don’t need Craig Kimbel

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel #46 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the ninth inning in Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: Closing pitcher Craig Kimbrel #46 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the ninth inning in Game Four of the 2018 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Every single time the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen has a bad night the same trend emerges: a sudden love for free agent reliever, Craig Kimbrel.

There are things we know are certain in life. The sun will rise from the East and set in the West. There will be traffic on the 405 Freeway after you get off of work. And every single time the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ bullpen has a bad outing, the name Craig Kimbrel will be spoken into existence.

Kimbrel entered the offseason as one of the best relief free agent options but had an asking price that was too high; an asking price that still sees him without a team with June just around the corner.

At this point, a lot of teams are likely holding ground until after the 2019 MLB Draft on June 3 to avoid the punishment of signing a player that was offered a qualifying offer. And while this could apply to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it shouldn’t.

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That is because the Los Angeles Dodgers do not really need Craig Kimbrel, despite how much you might read otherwise on your Twitter timeline.

The Dodgers’ allowing seven runs in the seventh inning on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays re-ignited this discussion, completely ignoring the fact that the runs were allowed by two guys, Dylan Floro and Caleb Ferguson, who have been really solid this year.

And the notion that the Dodgers have a terrible bullpen is completely off-centered. While they are not the cream of the crop, the team is still sixth in the National League in bullpen fWAR and second in saves.

Admittedly, the 4.62 ERA is not good and is the fourth-worst in the MLB. However, those numbers are skewed by some really bad performances that tip the balance of the scale and are not indicative of the bullpen as a whole.

The Dodgers’ bullpen has allowed 79 earned runs and 91 total runs thus far this season. Fourteen of those earned runs were let up by guys that are currently in AAA. Thirty-four are between Joe Kelly, Yimi Garcia and Pedro Baez.

While they are still part of the bullpen, 44 of the 79 earned runs are between three guys that are bound to get better and guys that were AAA call-ups when the team was short armed. And before Ferguson’s bad day on Wednesday, only Garcia and Kelly had an ERA above four.

So while they have not been elite, they certainly have been good enough. It is natural for a bullpen to blow the occasional lead and it only goes with the old adage that fans do not realize the bullpen unless they do not do their job.

The bullpen hadn’t blown a game since May 11and including Wednesday’s game has only blown a lead three times this month. In two of those three games, the Dodgers scored a combined three runs.

The only exception is Hunter Renfroe‘s walk-off grand slam on a two-out cutter that Kenley Jansen struck him out with the very next time they saw each other.

Being a fan of a great team can sometimes cloud your judgment and a lot of Dodger fans do not realize what it is like having a bullpen that consistently blows leads. There has to be something to complain about on the Dodgers, and with the bullpen being the weakest point, it receives unfair criticism.

Could it be better? Yes. But Kimbrel isn’t the answer. Signing Kimbrel would practically restrict the team from making any deadline deal because of the luxury tax threshold and like his former teammate Kelly, Kimbrel really is not all that special.

He was anything but good in the postseason last year and posted a 4.57 ERA in the second half of the season last year. You would think that people would be learning from Kelly’s performance and why it is not worth signing a reliever to a big salary.

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I am not against improving the bullpen if possible and if there is a good trade during the trade deadline then the team absolutely should take it. The fact of the matter is that Craig Kimbrel simply isn’t worth it for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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