Dodgers News: LA GM Says Team is Less Inclined to Sign Free Agent Closer
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes met with the media on Wednesday at the GM meetings in Las Vegas, covering a broad range of topics. One of the areas of discussion was the closer role for the 2023 Dodgers.
After Kenley Jansen signed with the Braves, Los Angeles headed into 2022 spring training without a dedicated closer. But near the end of camp, they traded AJ Pollock to the White Sox for Craig Kimbrel, the active leader in career saves.
That move didn't really work out for L.A., to put it lightly. Kimbrel was erratic and inconsistent, losing his job as closer late in the regular season and then being left off the postseason roster completely.
Kimbrel is gone now, and Los Angeles heads into the offseason without a closer in place for next year. Gomes said the team is not anxious to chase a closer in free agency.
Gomes said they feel comfortable with the internal options they have, without naming them specifically. Evan Phillips was their best reliever in 2022, with Yency Almonte, Brusdar Graterol, and others all showing promise if they decide to name a closer internally.
They could also go with a closer-by-committee approach, which they did after Kimbrel lost his job in September.
There were rumblings that L.A. might be interested in Mets closer Edwin Diaz, but New York locked him up with the biggest contract in baseball history for a reliever.
There are relievers on the market and Los Angeles will likely be in on some of them (including Chris Martin and Tommy Kahnle, who were Dodgers last year), but no one jumps out as their 2023 closer.
