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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Dodgers earned a second straight win against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, building on a lead over the rival San Diego Padres in the National League West division. But with the trade deadline just ahead, the Dodgers aren't likely to stand pat.
Even after a blockbuster offseason that added several high-profile names to a star-studded championship roster, the Dodgers face a concerning shortage in the bullpen after a range of injuries and shaky performances. After the team relied on its relief corps during last season's World Series run, the front office will surely be looking to bolster that unit ahead of a playoff run this year.
But the Dodgers will be competing for any available bullpen arms alongside virtually every other contending team. And that market could drive the Padres to offer up an intriguing option.
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"Considering the number of teams that desire impact relief help — the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, both New York teams and the Los Angeles Dodgers — the ones that have it are understandably holding out for a strong return," Jeff Passan wrote for ESPN. "Which is why San Diego is dangling Robert Suarez, San Francisco is fielding calls on its back-end guys, and even the A's could conceivably get an offer they can't refuse for Mason Miller."
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Given the market, the Padres' general willingness to make deals under AJ Preller and Suarez's option to exit his contract after this season, the fact that he's being "dangled" might not be too much of a surprise. But with the Padres in the midst of a tight divisional race and given the fact that Suarez leads all of Major League Baseball with 30 saves so far, his potential availability is a bit of a shock.
And even if the Padres really do find a price worth parting with Suarez for, the idea of sending him to the rival Dodgers and shoring up their only real weakness seems unlikely at best. Still, if Suarez goes to another contender and makes a different back-end reliever more available for the Dodgers, the Padres could end up helping their hated rival with a surprising deadline move.
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