During the off-season the primary target for Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi was rebuilding the Dodgers bullpen to help bridge the gap from the starting rotation to closer Kenley Jansen. But with the recent injury to Jansen, the entire dynamics of the Dodgers reconstructed bullpen have changed drastically.

“I’m not positive yet what we’ll do,” Friedman told reporters on Thursday. “We’ll take this time – these six weeks – to kind of figure it out.”

But Friedman also said that they won’t keep a blind eye to the possibility of going outside of the organization to sign a temporary replacement for Jansen.

“We’ll have our scouts out kind of smothering the other 29 teams kind of figuring out what the best configuring is when we break camp.”

As expected, there has been (and will continue to be) a lot of speculation as to who the Dodgers will use during the 8 to 12 weeks that Jansen will be sidelined. But there is one name that seems to come up more than any other – that of 30-year-old right-hander Chris Hatcher – who was acquired from the Marlins this off-season in the deal that sent Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas to Miami.

Chris Hatcher seems to be the most talked-about temporary replacement for Kenley Jansen.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Although Hatcher has four years of MLB experience – all with the Marlins – and was often called upon to close out games, he has yet to record his first MLB save. Through four seasons Hatcher is 0-4 with a 4.82 ERA. In the 56 innings that he pitched in 2014 – a career high – he struck out 60 while walking only 12. He posted a 1.196 WHIP and had a K/9 of 9.6. But is he up for the challenge to fill in for Jansen?

“I’m just going to be ready when they call my name no matter when it is, get ready to take the ball and get three outs before they score,” Hatcher said. “The ninth inning, it is what it is. I guess you have a title if you’re the closer but to me it’s just doing your job.”

As we all know, mindset is a huge factor for a closer. But according to the Kinston, NC native, the physical preparation is no different than that of any other bullpen role.

“It’s no different for me, it’ll be the same program for me as far as I’m concerned,” said Hatcher. “I’m just going to go out and get my work done and hopefully help this team win.”

Knowing that the decision is not his to make, Hatcher says that he doesn’t listen to any of the rumors or hype going around regarding him possibly filling in for Jansen.

“It’s up in the air I guess right now. I don’t follow it, I don’t read into it or any of that stuff,” Hatcher said. “I’m just going to do my normal program and if I happen to get the ball in the ninth I get it.”

Another name being tossed around as a possible closer candidate is 31-year-old left-hander J.P Howell, although he is perhaps better suited as a situational lefty. That being said, it is not beyond the realm of possibility of using Howell in the temporary closer role if fellow left-handers Paco Rodriguez and Dan Coulombe make the team out of spring training. In nine MLB seasons Howell has collected 21 saves, all while a member of the Tampa Bay Rays where Andrew Friedman was his general manager. And while Howell has yet to record a save as a Dodger, he did finish 14 games in his two seasons with the team. During that time he posting a 7-4 record with an outstanding 2.19 ERA and 1.143 WHIP.

Although J.P. Howell has been used primarily as a situational lefty in his two seasons with the Dodgers, he earned 21 saves while a member of the Tampa Bay Rays under Andrew Friedman.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

When pressed if he would be more inclined to bring someone in from the outside or bring someone up from within the Dodgers minor league system, Friedman was quite clear in his answer, including the fact that there have been on-going discussions with other teams regarding bringing in additional bullpen help.

“The conversations [with other teams] haven’t necessarily ramped up since Kenley’s injury,” Friedman said. “We very well might bring someone in at some point but it’s conversations we’ve had on-going. But things change obviously all the time, but I think the expectation is that if we bring someone in in the near-term, it’ll be someone that we’ve been talking to that pre-dates Kenley’s injury.”

But if Friedman and Zaidi have taught us anything in their short time with the Dodgers it’s that they are not always forthcoming with the media about their plans, and it is wise to expect the unexpected from them (e.g., Saturday’s signing of two-time Tommy John surgery victim Brandon Beachy). As such, and with Friedman’s comments about on-going conversations with other teams, don’t be surprised if there will be another vacant locker soon filled in the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch clubhouse in the coming days or weeks.