Believe it or not, some people saw a bit of logic when the Dodgers ignored their suspect bullpen while trying to upgrade their offense at the non-waiver trade deadline last month. After all, there were some internal moving pieces which would improve the relief corps, and the addition of two of the best available offensive weapons would seemingly allow the squad to slug its way into the postseason.
But, as the middle of August has already crept in, nothing appears to be working according to the pre-deadline plan. The Dodgers, who many pundits once believed to be among the deepest clubs in baseball, have now lost five straight contests and are two full games off the division lead.