Adding Andrew Friedman Gives Dodgers A New Direction by Mark Stevens
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been spending money like crazy over the last few years, but it has not translated to a lot of success in the postseason. Meanwhile, they see their rivals in San Francisco closing in on another World Series appearance in the last five years.
A change needed to be made, and that person can’t be found in free agency or in some type of trade. However, the Dodgers were able to land fantasy baseball stud Andrew Friedman and name him their new president of baseball operations. He has a chance to mold this team the way he likes, and that means changes are on the way.
Los Angeles almost has the problem right now that they have too much talent to work with. They are loaded in the outfield, and they will probably need to make at least a few moves in the winter to clear that up. They also need to address some players who are going to be up for free agency sooner rather than later. There will be some tough decisions, but Friedman will find this to be a piece of cake considering where he’s coming from.
In Tampa Bay, Friedman was able to turn the team around on a very tight budget. They have one of the smallest payrolls in the game, but they were able to compete in the toughest division year in and year out. With a lot more money at his disposal, Friedman will be able to make all the moves he wants.
That is a scary thought considering his past.
There is certainly a lot of intrigue to see whether or not a small-market guy can translate his success to a big market. Some people question whether or not a guy like Billy Beane would actually have success away from Oakland. Friedman is in a similar situation, but he seems to be willing to take the risk in Los Angeles. The Dodgers already have the best pitcher in the game and multiple All-Stars locked up, so it is not like he needs to make a lot of moves at first to switch it all up. One thing for sure is the fact that the rest of baseball is not very happy with this news, because Los Angeles just landed the equivalent of a major free agent on the open market.
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