Dodgers News: Team Is ‘Under Pressure’ This Season

Pressure bursts pipes, or so they say. Well, you can add the Los Angeles Dodgers to the list of things that pressure could end up beating this season. Then again, they weren’t the only team to appear on a CBS Sports dot com list about the teams that are under the most pressure this year.

Joining the Dodgers on that list were the Chicago Cubs, who are basically the odds-on-favorite to win the World Series this season, the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and National League West foe Arizona Diamondbacks. The list was rather interesting, especially the Dodgers’ part.

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From Dayn Perry at CBS Sports dot com:

Compounding those pressures is the somewhat muted offseason. The Dodgers were indeed active, but their maneuverings felt a bit like half-measures in light of the organization’s immense resources and recent willingness to spend.

It’s hard to say if “half-measures” is the right term, but it isn’t a bad one to use if you expected the Dodgers to go for broke this offseason and spend money all willy-nilly. They didn’t sign David Price to replace Zack Greinke, no, but they did sign arms who should be able to help regardless.

Perry wasn’t done, though, and his final statement on the Dodgers does seem to ring true in some circles:

It’s overly simplistic to call 2016 a proving ground for Andrew Friedman and company, but that’s going to be the perception in many quarters.

This is Friedman’s second season with the team, but people are already clamoring for his head because they lost Greinke and didn’t fill his absence with a major signing. But that’s not the way Friedman operates. He’s helped turn their farm system around, and now has built enough depth to help the team compete.

Whether the team wins anything substantial this season remains to be seen, obviously, but what can’t be debated is that the former Tampa Bay Rays executive has helped the team in a short time. Another division title is in play for the Dodgers, but there is a bigger prize at stake. The pressure is going to be enormous this year.