The One Free Agent Who Makes Too Much Sense for the Dodgers

The Dodgers don't have many holes.

May 29, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) walks off the mound after a pitching change in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The upcoming free agent class isn't overly strong.

Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is the cream of the crop, and after that ... it's rather thin across the board.

The Los Angeles Dodgers surely will check in on Skubal. If they can bring him back on a reasonable deal, the team would likely love to do that. It's also expected to see Andrew Friedman operate more heavily in the trade market rather than handing out splashy free agent deals.

There are some considerations to outline as it pertains to the bullpen. Alex Vesia headlines a host of Dodgers who have hit free agency. Chief among them besides Vesia includes Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Kris Bubic and Blake Treinen.

Don't expect the team to break the bank in the way that they did for Tanner Scott and most recently Edwin Diaz. The returns on those deals have been mixed to say the least.

However, Bryan Abreu of the Houston Astros is most certainly someone the team should try to nab on a team-friendly deal.

The right-handed reliever has notched five solid years in a row for the Astros. Abreu is also durable, having averaged 68.2 appearances over this time to go with a very good 2.56 ERA.

In 2026, Abreu was in the 92nd percentile in xBA, the 97th percentile in whiff percentage and the 91st percentile in strikeout percentage. While he's equipped with a three-pitch mix, the cutter plays second-fiddle to his fastball-slider combination.

The 29-year-old is a proven arm with plenty of postseason experience. It could behoove both the player and team to get him into a new league where hitters are less familiar with Abreu's game.

As we saw in the postseason, the bullpen certainly can afford to be upgraded. There's a left-handed-heavy feel to the group and that also needs to be better balanced out. Far too often the team relied on lefties to get right-handed hitters out based on splits and other various analytics-based numbers.

In this scenario, the Dodgers would be able to get a power arm from the right side that will not be out of his depth come October. The same thing can't be said for some of the younger arms in the system that may have higher upsides — but simply haven't been in those situations before comparatively speaking.

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