In each of the last two years, the Dodgers have made an under-the-radar bullpen signing that panned out extremely well. Two years ago, Joe Blanton signed a one-year, $4 million deal in January and forced his way as the Dodgers’ primary setup man. Last year, Brandon Morrow signed a minor-league contract and failed to make the team out of Spring Training. The Dodgers called him up on May 29 and he became a premier setup man, which led to a healthy contract with the Cubs.
The Dodgers refuse to get into bidding wars for bullpen arms, opting to trust their development of arm talent.