The Los Angeles Dodgers were laying in the weeds during this early portion of the offseason.
As Tuesday hit, the activity started to percolate at a rather high level. The reported signing of Edwin Diaz kicked off on Tuesday morning as the rest of the baseball world shakes its collective head in utter shock.
From there, it was reported by Bob Nightengale that ex-Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli will join the front office as a special assistant to Andrew Friedman.
This is not the first time that the two have worked together. As a player, Baldelli played for the Tampa Bay Rays when Friedman was a front office executive. Once his career was cut short, Baldelli was brought into the front office infrastructure by Friedman. This essentially kicked off Baldelli’s post-playing career as a highly-touted baseball mind.
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“The Twins fired Baldelli with one year remaining in his contract after the club missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years, finishing the 2025 season with a 70-92 record.
“Baldelli, 44, had a 527-505 record (.511 winning percentage) in seven seasons with the Twins, which included a playoff series win in 2023 and three American League Central titles. Baldelli was named the AL manager of the year in 2019. Baldelli worked as a special assistant for Friedman in Tampa Bay immediately after his playing career was cut short in 2010 because of a mitochondrial disorder.”
This is another smart, savvy move by the Dodgers — and one that exemplifies why their infrastructure is so strong. Welcoming in someone like Baldelli, with experience as a player, front office member, and manager can only enhance the overall competency in a group that’s considered to be atop the field in this category.
Barring some unexpected defections from the coaching staff and/or front office, it appears as if the team will run it back yet again in 2026 operating with fantastic continuity.
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Photo Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
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