Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Addresses Who Might Pitch in Closer's Role

When the Dodgers acquired Craig Kimbrel late in spring training, they thought they had answered the important question of who would be closing games for them, both in the regular season and in the postseason.

But after an up-and-down season that saw Kimbrel post a 3.75 ERA and raise the blood pressure of every Dodger fan almost every time he took the mound, L.A. is heading into the playoffs not only with no set closer — they don't even know if Kimbrel will be on the roster.

On Friday afternoon, Los Angeles took part in an intrasquad game at Dodgers Stadium, but before that, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman met with the media and addressed the team's situation at closer.

Friedman on the closer role: “The most important thing is we feel like we have a number of guys that can handle the moment and have the stuff to do it.”
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) October 7, 2022

Los Angeles has a loaded bullpen, with Evan Phillips, Yency Almonte, Chris Martin, Caleb Ferguson, and Alex Vesia all posting ERAs of 2.15 or lower. Tommy Kahnle has a 1.04 ERA in nine games since returning from the injured list, and Brusdar Graterol has a 1.78 ERA since June 5. And then there's Blake Treinen, their best reliever in 2021 who has spent most of 2022 on the IL but has posted a 1.80 ERA in five games this season and hopes to be ready for the NLDS.

The Dodgers got saves from 12 different relievers this year, and the only pitcher likely to be in the postseason bullpen who didn't have a save this year is Treinen, a proven closer with 79 career saves.

So when Friedman says they have "a number of guys" who can save games in the postseason, he means it. There are no sure things in the postseason — just ask Ryan Helsley and the Cardinals — but going into the postseason with a bullpen full of dominant relievers is about all a president of baseball operations can do to ensure success.