Bullpen options abound for Dodgers in '21

With Spring Training scheduled to begin this month, MLB.com will take an in-depth, position-by-position look at the Dodgers heading into the 2021 season. Second up: The bullpen.

To this point in the offseason, the Dodgers have been relatively quiet making moves to improve the bullpen. The club traded for Corey Knebel and re-signed Blake Treinen but lost Pedro Báez and Alex Wood to free agency. Jake McGee remains a free agent.

Around the Horn: SP

Despite some of the subtractions from last year’s team, the Dodgers feel confident about the quality and quantity of arms they can utilize out of the bullpen. It’s still possible -- even likely -- that the Dodgers make a few small moves in order to increase depth, but the club is expecting the bullpen to be a strength yet again in 2021.

Right-handed options: Dylan Floro, Brusdar Graterol, Kenley Jansen, Joe Kelly, Corey Knebel, Dennis Santana, Josh Sborz, Blake Treinen, Mitch White

There’s no secret that the Dodgers’ bullpen is more potent when Jansen is at his best. Jansen had 11 saves last season and was able to record 33 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings, but he also struggled with command and saw a diminished role later in the season. He finished with a 1.151 WHIP in 2020, a career high, and his rate of 3.3 walks per nine innings was his highest since his rookie season in ’11.

While Jansen’s dominant days are likely behind him as he enters his 12th big league season, all signs point to the veteran having another good season in the back end of the Dodgers’ bullpen if he’s able to reduce the walks. Giving up solid contact certainly wasn’t the problem for Jansen, as opposing hitters finished with a 14% hard-hit rate against him last season, lowest in the Majors.

After Jansen, manager Dave Roberts has plenty of options.

The Dodgers are banking on a bounce-back season by Knebel. The 29-year-old was one of baseball’s dominant relievers during his time in Milwaukee but had a forgettable season in 2020, finishing with a 6.08 ERA. Treinen, who had a solid bounce-back season in ‘20, will continue to get plenty of work and could be even better in his second season in Los Angeles.

Kelly, who pitched only 3 2/3 innings during the postseason, will look to avoid hard contact. His elite fastball/curveball combination continues to make him a big weapon. Graterol gives the Dodgers another power arm, though he will continue to try to find ways to get more swings-and-misses. He finished in the bottom 1% in whiff percentage last season, according to Statcast, despite his sinker having an average velocity of 99.3 mph.

Floro is another right-handed option for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old was excellent last season, finishing with a 2.66 FIP. Floro relies on a sinker/slider combination, but he turned to his changeup more than ever last season. Floro threw the changeup 80 times last season, per Statcast, up from just 28 in 2019. Opposing hitters finished with a .167 average against the pitch.

Tommy Kahnle, whom the Dodgers signed this offseason, is expected to miss the majority of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. There’s a chance he could return late in the season, giving the Dodgers another boost.

Left-handed options: Scott Alexander, Garrett Cleavinger, Victor González, Adam Kolarek

Los Angeles has plenty of right-handed options, and it will head into the season with plenty of southpaws out of the bullpen. Even with McGee off the roster, the Dodgers have González, Kolarek and Alexander as three good lefty options.

González burst onto the scene last season with a 1.33 ERA in 15 regular-season appearances. He used a dominant slider last season to record 18 of his 23 strikeouts. Opposing hitters batted just .063 against that slider, according to Statcast.

Kolarek was perhaps the most pleasant surprise for the Dodgers in 2020. After being mostly a lefty-lefty specialist with the Rays, Kolarek was solid against righties last season, holding them to a .737 OPS. He remained dominant against lefties, holding them to three hits in 40 plate appearances.

Perhaps most impressive is that González and Kolarek were two of just three pitchers with at least 50 batted ball events who didn’t allow a barreled ball, per Statcast. White Sox pitcher Evan Marshall was the other.

Cleavinger was acquired from the Phillies this offseason. He likely will serve as a depth piece for the Dodgers this season after making his Major League debut in ‘20.