The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the midst of the winning streak that so many of us thought was inevitable. That stretch combined with the recent struggles of the San Francisco Giants has the Dodgers in position to end this weekend tied for first place.
More from Los Angeles Dodgers
- Shohei Ohtani trade rumors live tracker: Every update so far
- After frantic trade day, Kiké Hernandez grateful for second chance with Dodgers
- This White Sox-Dodgers trade for bullpen help could lead to LA reunion
- MLB Trade Grades: Dodgers reunite with familiar face in Red Sox deal
- MLB Rumors: Cardinals budging on Arenado, Orioles-Ohtani package, Yankees backup plan
There are still issues to be addressed, however, and if the past few seasons are any indication, the Dodgers will be aggressive in their efforts to solve those problems. In the event of the 2014 season, the biggest area of concern is their bullpen. General manager Ned Colletti said as much this weekend and said that the team will look for moves to fix that situation (quotes from the Los Angeles Times):
"“I’d like to get our bullpen squared away, whether it’s internally or externally,” Colletti said. “It’s a scenario we spent a lot of time on this past winter with the idea that it would be one of our key strengths. We think it needs to be better collectively.”"
The back end of the bullpen is locked down at least somewhat thanks to the presence of Kenley Jansen at closer. But some of the other options, guys like Brandon League and Brian Wilson, have been inconsistent and often unreliable. The fact that Jamey Wright often strikes observers as a stable option probably says as much about the need to upgrade as anything (with no disrespect to Wright and his lengthy career intended).
The move that would jive with the Dodgers’ philosophy in recent years would be something like a deal for Jonathan Papelbon and his albatross of a salary. That isn’t necessarily likely, however, so it will be interesting to see where the Dodgers turn to bolster their bullpen.