The Los Angeles Dodgers escaped with a win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon, but fans might be somehow come away feeling worse about their team moving forward. And it's not hard to see why: Just a day after closer Tanner Scott was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation, the Dodgers' beleaguered bullpen got exposed, with righty Kirby Yates walking three straight batters to turn a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit in the eighth inning.
Los Angeles was able to turn the tables thanks to Freddie Freeman's two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. But even with a win, it was hard to avoid feeling like the Dodgers are headed for disaster if they don't come up with some bullpen reinforcements ahead of this month's trade deadline. Scott is just the tip of the iceberg here: Evan Phillips and Brusdar Graterol are both out for the year, while Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech are on the IL themselves. Even for a team as deep as the Dodgers, that's a lot to sustain, and we saw the consequences on Wednesday.
Andrew Friedman might decide to avoid taking a really big swing, instead opting to make multiple lower-profile moves to help bolster his relief corps. Then again, these are the Dodgers we're talking about; they should be all in every single year in which Shohei Ohtani is healthy and in his prime. And right now, "all in" leads to one obvious fit: Cleveland Guardians All-Star Emmanuel Clase.
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Emmanuel Clase trade would go a long way to solving Dodgers' bullpen problems
You could see both teams up in arms over this package, which is how you know you're somewhere near the mark. Clase isn't quite at the all-world level he was last year, but he's still been awfully good, with a 2.80 ERA and 22 saves so far thanks to that triple-digits cutter that remains as wicked as ever. He also comes with one more guaranteed year of team control, plus team options for 2027 and 2028. If the Guardians really are willing to listen on him, he immediately becomes one of the hottest commodities on the market.
Given that, Cleveland might hope to get a little more in return here. But Hope is a spectacular prospect, No. 2 in L.A.'s system and No. 33 overall per MLB Pipeline, and he also happens to give the Guardians another impact outfielder they could really use. He's currently hitting .286/.390/.465 in the Minors this season, despite being more than two years younger than his competition in High-A. He makes extremely loud contact, and profiles as a potential 30-homer bat with strong on-base skills if he hits his ceiling. Plus, Wrobleski and Casparius would figure to be prime candidates for rehabilitation in Cleveland's pitching factory, while Wagner would give the team another first-base option if Kyle Manzardo continues to struggle.
Maybe that doesn't seem like much, but Dodgers fans are likely to wince at giving up Hope for a reliever, even one as good as Clase. Teams just don't quite value the position as much as they maybe did in past years, and Cleveland should feel good about coming away with a player who would become one of the jewels of their farm system. Los Angeles, meanwhile, immediately gets some stability toward the back of their rotation, with the chance at a multi-headed monster if Scott, Treinen and Kopech come back to supplement Clase and Alex Vesia.