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If you've already removed all Dodgers relievers from your fantasy portfolio, I get it. Can't argue. Not a bad play. That bullpen is a bleak, hopeless place. Just look at the miserable group pictured above. Sad, wet men, waiting to be injured.
Originally I had no intention of discussing the LA 'pen today, but then I acquired Javy Guerra in a multi-player dynasty deal, as a mostly meaningless throw-in. (NL-only league, $5 Buster Posey was the target. You don't care). The 25-year-old Guerra earned the last save for the Dodgers, way back on May 24. He's probably in line for the next save chance, too. Guerra is a right-hander who offers the traditional mid-90s fastball/hard slider combo, as well as a change. Wildness has been a serious issue, though. He allowed 22 walks in just 27.0 innings at Double-A last season.
Nobody expected Guerra to enter the mix for saves this year, of course. The Dodgers seemed eager to give the ninth inning back to Vicente Padilla last week, but he's dealing with a neck injury, inflammation in a disk. There's no timetable on his return. Matt Guerrier is still in the picture, but he's been pitching earlier innings than Guerra. Kenley Jansen (shoulder) and Hong-Chih Kuo (anxiety disorder) are expected to begin rehab assignments this week, but those two have been notably bad for the Dodgers in 2011 (6.43 ERA for Jansen, 11.57 for Kuo). Jonathan Broxton (elbow) has been throwing off a mound, though not at full power. Again, no timetable. He hasn't been right since the 48-pitch outing last June. And we should probably mention that Mike MacDougal is still Mike MacDougalish (1.52 WHIP).
For now, I'm content to have my single share of Guerra, but I won't pressure you to make the add. He's only owned in one percent of Yahoo! leagues, so it's not like he's flying off the shelves. Guerra and Guerrier (decent name for a buddy cop film right there) were both just dropped in the Friends & Family League, which tells you something about the industry's confidence in this bullpen. Spin the wheel, pick a closing candidate, hope for the best. Or avoid the mess entirely.
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Photo via US Presswire