Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Alludes to Possible Options at Closer
One of the biggest questions facing the Dodgers as the club heads into the regular season is what will the end of games look like? Who will be the closer? Even if the plan is to go "closer by committee" to start the season, Dave Roberts will still have someone that he turns to more often than not in the ninth inning when the team has a lead.
Doc talked a bit about the closer's role and guys who could step up from opening day through the end of the season.
"I think that the guys that will close out games for us this year I would say that they've all done it before. So it's not something that we haven't seen before. I don't know how that's going to play out in each game as we go forward. So we'll see."
The Dodgers have 10 relievers who have at least 1 career save on the 40 man roster, so Dave is playing coy with his statement. Of those 10, Alex Reyes (31 career saves) and Daniel Hudson (32 career saves) have more than a handful each. They both will open the season on the injured list.
Brusdar Graterol picked up 4 saves last season (third most on the team) and is one of the more popular options to close games, but his lack of strikeouts remains a concern for the team.
When healthy, Hudson could see the lion's share of chances in the ninth. He hopes to return some time late in April, but his knee is still not responding well to pitching off the mound.
Alex Reyes told DodgersNation.com he hopes to return in June or July. In his last healthy season in 2021, he was an All-Star closer for the Cardinals, saving 29 games in 34 opportunities.
By October, one of these three pitchers could take over the role. Fans may want to see Evan Phillips, but his role as a fireman reliever is just so important for this club.
