Dodgers Still Must Address Bullpen if Team Wants to Be Truly Elite

The Los Angeles Dodgers have yet again pieced together a fantastic season. They're an MLB-best 62-33 on the year and just polished off a road series victory over the Boston Red Sox, the team that defeated them in the World Series last year. They're basically a shoo-in to make their third straight Fall Classic.

But the Dodgers aren't the invincible machine that they've been made out to be. The bullpen has been a nagging hindrance, and they're going to have to address it if they want to become a truly elite squad.

The relief core outside of Kenley Jansen is almost totally unreliable. Pedro Baez has struggled in his set-up role, coughing up back-to-back home runs to tie the game on Sunday in his latest clear transgression.

Joe Kelly, once thought to be a strong offseason acquisition, has struggled mightily in 2019. He owns a 5.29 ERA and a 1.577 WHIP, numbers that are still incredibly disconcerting despite a recent stretch of success.

Even guys like Yimi Garcia, who owns a ridiculous 5.73 FIP, are being called upon to man high leverage innings. They've been nothing short of ghastly throughout the year.

For all of the doom and gloom, though, things can be fixed. There's plenty of options on the trade market for the Dodgers to look into. Shane Greene, Ken Giles, Felipe Vazquez, or even division rival Kirby Yates would all be welcome additions to this underwhelming group of arms.

The Dodgers need to address their bullpen crisis. Playoffs past have shown the importance of having a deep core of trustworthy relievers. If they want to avoid another Ryan Madson-level catastrophe in October, then adding another arm or two is of paramount importance.