The Los Angeles Dodgers just won their second straight World Series title, but even they have areas in which they could improve.
Los Angeles has more firepower than anyone else, and yet it finished the regular season with the 21st-ranked bullpen ERA in baseball at 4.27. The bullpen was a bit better in the playoffs, but the Dodgers still somehow had the eighth-ranked bullpen ERA in the playoffs at 3.84.
There’s been so much noise out there already with the offseason beginning about Los Angeles. The Dodgers have been linked to Kyle Tucker already a handful of times, but the bullpen is really where Los Angeles needs to put its focus this offseason. Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer had a good — and familiar — idea for the Dodgers and predicted that they will sign San Diego Padres star Robert Suárez this offseason to a four-year, $64 million deal to fix the bullpen.
“It was after an out-of-nowhere breakout that the Padres signed Robert Suarez to a five-year contract in 2022. And after a disappointing 2023 season, he more than lived up to it in 2024 and 2025,” Rymer said. “Hence why it was a no-brainer for him to decline the two-year, $16 million player option he held upon the conclusion of this season. He figures to be in enough demand to potentially command that much money just as the average annual value in a multi-year deal.
“Even so, some teams might be spooked by the fact that Suarez will turn 35 years old on March 1, 2026. He’s also just two years removed from an injury scare, as he missed most of 2023 because of inflammation in his elbow. … Ideal Landing Spot: Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers won the World Series very much in spite of their bullpen, and it won’t have Roki Sasaki around to redeem it next year. They therefore figure to be in the market for a top-tier closer, and signing Suarez would be a double whammy of filling that need and taking a major weapon away from their top NL West rival. Prediction: Signs with Dodgers on 4-year, $64 million contract.”
Suárez is the type of player that would significantly bolster the Dodgers’ bullpen and Los Angeles has seen plenty of him as a member of the Padres. If the Dodgers can afford to target someone like Tucker, they absolutely can afford to sign Suárez.