The Los Angeles Dodgers enjoyed the honeymoon of being back-to-back World Series Champions following their epic Game 7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last month. Now, the real offseason work begins. 

As day two of the Winter Meetings takes place in Orlando, the Dodgers’ front office has some work to do in supplementing its already-elite roster. The Dodgers already re-signed Game 7 hero Miguel Rojas to a friendly one-year deal worth $5.5 million, and recently, Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic broke down who Los Angeles has missed out on and what the club still needs. 

“Addressing the bullpen is a top priority,” they wrote. “The Dodgers are firmly in the mix on that front this winter, as always. But their relief pursuits, as of now, are trying to thread a tight needle. They want to be engaged on several of the top relievers available on the market, league sources said but have tried to stick to shorter-term frameworks. 

“They were among the teams involved in Raisel Iglesias’ market before he re-signed with the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $16 million deal — the kind of deal that seems to fit the team’s desires. Los Angeles also floated the idea of a one-year deal with closer Ryan Helsley before he opted for a two-year, $28 million pact with the Baltimore Orioles, one that includes an opt-out after 2026. And, most recently, the Dodgers were in hot contention to sign Devin Williams before he signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the New York Mets, sources said.” 

If the Dodgers have a weakness, it is clearly the bullpen. As Ardaya and Woo pointed out, the front office brought in Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates ahead of last season to bolster the bullpen. However, neither set foot on the mound during the Dodgers’ quest for another ring, and the bullpen finished toward the bottom of baseball (20th) with a 4.27 ERA. 

After seemingly wasted money on the aforementioned relievers, Ardaya and Woo say that the Dodgers “appear to simply being dipping their toes” rather than “dive back into deep bullpen waters.” 

The question now is who Andrew Friedman and the rest of the brass target now to address this glaring need. Edwin Diaz is on the market but likely falls outside of their range. Former Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks is also on the market and more affordable, but Ardaya and Woo said the Dodgers “have not been engaged on that front.” 

With all this in mind, it will be interesting to see what comes of the next few days for the champs. 

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