The Los Angeles Dodgers have been looking to revamp their bullpen this offseason, but they still need some improvement even after the moves they've made. On top of that, they suffered a setback in regards to their top relief pitcher.
Closer Kenley Jansen underwent surgery to remove a growth from a bone in his left foot on Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, according to the team's public relations department, via Jon Weisman of MLB.com. The right-hander will be on crutches for 10 days and then wear a boot for the next 3-4 weeks. He's expected to miss 8-12 weeks of action, which means the best case scenario is he'll be ready in the middle of April.
This is a huge blow to a Dodgers bullpen that struggled throughout 2014. The team's new front office has purged that department as a result and only four relievers from last season will be with the team in 2015, including Jansen. Earlier this week it was reported Los Angeles was looking to add another relief pitcher, and it was speculated they could be after veteran arms Rafael Soriano or Francisco Rodriguez.
Both Soriano and Rodriguez are likely looking to be a closer in 2015. Soriano spent nearly all of last season closing for the Washington Nationals and Rodriguez had a successful campaign as closer for the Milwaukee Brewers. One of these right-handers could spend time as closer in the meantime while Jansen recovers from his surgery, which would allow the Dodgers to buy some time and let Jansen take his time to get back to full health. He's going to need all the rest he can get because he underwent the operation on his plant foot.
Here are the stats for these three relievers from the 2014 season:
Jansen: 2-3 with a 2.76 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 101 strikeouts and 44 saves in 68 games (65 1/3 innings)
Soriano: 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 59 strikeouts and 32 saves in 64 games (62 innings)
Rodriguez: 5-5 with a 3.04 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 73 strikeouts and 44 saves in 69 games (68 innings)
The Dodgers are now almost guaranteed to sign another reliever to make up for Jansen's absence.
