Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Reveals Top Offseason Priority for LA
Another early postseason exit for the Dodgers had front office executive Andrew Friedman addressing the media for an end-of-year press conference far earlier than he expected.
Friedman fielded several questions from reporters about the team’s struggles over the last two postseasons. He also spoke about the franchise’s upcoming offseason plans to improve the roster in 2024.
All around it looks like the plan is centered on quality pitching.
“We’ll certainly be focused on starting pitching. Then it’s how to balance the young guys and where we’re at there, obviously with Walker Buehler coming back. And then the market, whether it’s through trade or free agency. The bullpen we feel like is in a pretty good place, it doesn’t mean we can’t supplement here or there. And then offense we feel good about, but there’s some position player needs that we’re gonna have to address and figure out what makes the most sense within our current group.”
Dave Roberts’ makeshift rotation failed to get the job done across each of LA’s three losses to Arizona in the NLDS.
Clayton Kershaw suffered the shortest start of his career after six Snakes crossed the plate before the first inning was over.
Bobby Miller showed signs of rookie nerves after he couldn’t complete three innings of work with shaky command throughout his short outing.
Lance Lynn proved to be LA’s last resort and his regular season home run issue came up at the worst possible time in the third inning of Arizona’s eventual clinching game.
LA’s bullpen did their job but the battered and beaten rotation put the Dodgers’ lackluster offense behind the 8-ball before they really had a chance.
The Dodgers’ offense managed just six runs against their division rival all series with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman struggling mightily after dominant regular seasons.
Gavin Lux’s ACL tear during spring training threw a wrench into LA’s position player plans early into 2023 and forced light hitting Miguel Rojas into an unexpected starting role. Mookie Betts ended up playing a lot of second base this season, but that took him away from right field, a position in which he’s won six Gold Gloves.
Expect Friedman and everyone else in the organization to push the right buttons to win the franchise’s first full season World Series since 1988.
“We want to have really strong pitching,” Friedman said. “If you look back over the years here, we’ve led baseball and runs allowed. Through the combination of our pitching and our defense that for us is a way better quality of life than just having a slugfest where you’re allowing a lot and scoring a lot. And so, if you have a choice in that, we like preventing runs and then having a good enough offense to make us an elite team. So we’re focused on adding quality pitching [this offseason].”
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
AS Bill Parcells once said, “you are what your record says you are!” The Los Angeles Dodgers have won ONE World Series Title in 35 years…and that was a lucky post season win, played in a shortened 60 game regular season!! Fact is the Dodgers are a HYPE media team that over their 125-150 year history have won ONLY 7 World Series Championships! Andrew Friedman and his band of Guggenheim investment bankers have ZERO feel for the game of baseball, having never played the game other than Tee Ball. ALGORITHMS-SCHMALGORITHMS! These knuckleheads don’t have the baseball “smarts” to run a major league baseball organization, and perhaps that’s why the “Fake News” Dodgers haven’t won the title more than SEVEN times in their long history!
LA’s Hispanic fan base is getting ripped off; hard-working people paying big dollars to watch ineptness as the Dodgers, year in and year out, crumble and choke in crunch time. Remember Dodger fans, “you are what your record says you are!”
That is still more than all but 5 other teams. Only the Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics, Cardinals, and Giants have more.
you are a tool
I agree with The Vicchio. I believe they know that as long as the put out a good regular season team out there and make money off of that, then it’s fine. Would they like a championship team “yes” but as long as people are paying ridiculous amount of money for a baseball game then Freedman doesn’t mind. For years and years I’ve said pitching wins championships and they have had starting pitching but they somehow think they’re over rated bullpen is good enough. They have Never had a good enough bullpen. Stays my butt, it’s different in the playoffs when things are intense and you’re only winning by 1 or 2 runs. These pens have worked under no stress during the reg. Season with 4/5 plus run leads. They need a real bullpen. Get the right pen and I guarantee they win.
Hey Toby,
I believe you’re mistaken re: this year’s bullpen. Dodgers’ bullpen was on the money from June 20th right through their last post season sweep loss. Cold choking offense and no starting pitching was the issue. No excuse for the offense; starting pitching is a whole other issue, starting with Chester the Molester last year (never shoulda signing that punk). Injuries/surgeries…bad luck but sadly, part of the game today and the final coffin nail: Urias!
I’m as disappointed as anyone. I believe in this rule in baseball: 3 strikes and you’re out….so….these past 2 years are strikes one & two. Friedman & Co. have ONE more year to put up or heads roll (even like they “care” what I think.;>)
Any team that wins over a hundred games in a season is a pretty good team. The Dodgers did that this year with some pretty shaky pitching and overcame a lot of injuries and still finished well ahead of the snakes. The layoff before they could play their fist game has a lot to do with their demise this year and last. I don’t care what anybody says that is a factor. This playoff format needs to go! No matter how hot you get at the end of the season or the playoffs, if you only win 84 games you don’t deserve to be in the post season!
I also really wish some of the complainers and Roberts haters would go find another team to bitch about. It gets really old listening to the whining!