In October of 2014, the ownership of the Dodgers decided to go in a new direction and named Andrew Friedman President of Baseball Operations. GM Ned Colletti was moved to another position in the organization and Friedman brought in Farhan Zaidi as the new GM.
At the time, the only thing I knew about Friedman was that he had been running the Tampa Bay Rays. I knew they had gotten to the World Series and lost to the Phillies, but really nothing else about him. I did know that when his stars got close to free agency the Rays usually traded them rather than spend a ton of money to keep them.
As for Colletti, I thought he did a decent job. He signed a couple of free agents who absolutely bombed…Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones. But considering who he was working for and how close McCourt came to ruining the entire franchise, Ned did an admirable job.
The farm system was starting to produce some good players and the future of the franchise because of new ownership was looking a lot better. But ownership is entitled to have their own guy at the helm and they chose Friedman.
Things began to happen almost immediately. I do not think in my entire time as a Dodger fan that I have seen as much movement. Most of it was centered around not re-signing some of their guys and getting some fringe players you knew they would never play a game in LA.
In December, well, the other shoe dropped. Kemp and Gordon were traded and neither trade was well received by most of the fan base. I was one of those and I was livid simply because Kemp had looked better than he had since the injury, and well, Gordon was one of the more exciting players on the team.
But that was just the beginning. Over the next few seasons, AF as I will call him here, made move after move that to some of us fans were head scratchers. Giving McCarthy a 4 year deal? Wow.
But the team kept winning the West and creeped closer to the World Series. Many of us disliked Roberts. His decisions were constantly dissected. And I was guilty of that a lot.
Then came 17 and all the events that unfolded during the series that we did not find out about until later. Then we lost to a very superior Red Sox team in 18 only to find out they had been cheating some too.
19 was the biggest disappointment of all to me. They were the best team in the majors period, and knocked out in the first round because their pitching failed them and the Nats arms were outstanding. The pain of that was not eased one bit by the fact that DC won the series over the Astros.
Now 2020 comes along, we have Price and Mookie, and things are looking up. Then boom. Pandemic time. A truncated season, more drama. No moves at the deadline other than to unload Stripling and everyone knows the starting pitching is suspect. And AF is under intense scrutiny again.
Then being down 3-1 in the NLCS. Coming back from the brink and finally winning it all for the first time in 32 years and it felt like the weight of the world was off our shoulders.
The celebration, Mark Walter long winded speech and then AF stepped up and one of the first things he said was ” sorry it took so long”. Well, I guess I am an old softie anymore, because that to me was classy.
Look, I never really at any time liked the way he did things. He had been called a baseball genius, but I never saw that. Einstein was a genius. AF, not so much. But he did things in a way that you did not see what the end game was.
The team stayed competitive and at times dominating. Some of the flaws in the team remain evident, but they still won. Now they are basking in the victory knowing they have little time to prepare for the defense of that title.
As for AF, how do I like him now? Well, I understand his way of doing things a little better. He does not give up his prospects willy nilly. Every move is measured by what he is giving up and what he is receiving in return.
He has kept his core pretty solid and works on the fringes mostly until he sees a need and then he moves to fix that part of the machine that is not running as smooth.
I have often read how he does not know how to construct a bullpen. But every year he is replacing parts in the pen. Look at this season, McGee, Treinen and a few others who never made it to the big club.
Every year he signs a ton of relievers. He might not sign many to big contracts, Kelly and Treinen would be the exceptions, but he has gotten guys on the cheap who have performed. Sadler in 19 was a real surprise and I was even more surprised when they traded him.
AF has not totally won me over. But I am a little more comfortable in his leadership. And remember, he did it this year without a GM in place. Oh, he has plenty of former GM’s on the staff, but no one has the title.
So, I want everyone’s opinion. How do you like him now?
Well, I have always been a fan of AF… back to his TB days when I felt like he was having to operate with one hand behind his back.
I was never a big fan of Gordon and was lukewarm on Kemp. Yasmani Grandal filled a need and I loved him… until I didn’t (and AF understood when it was time for him to move on). Still, between 2015 and 2020, Yasmani leads all Catchers in MLB in WAR at 26.6, Posey is 2nd at 22.4 and Realmuto is at 19.1. He also leads all catchers in HR, RBI, and dWAR (by a mile) in that same time period. His meltdowns in the playoffs were epic, however!
No one understood why AF signed Anderson, McCarthy, and Kazmir but together they won 32 games as Dodgers for less than $150 million… the same as Johnny Cueto, but they are not under contract while Cueto still is.
These guys were “bridges” to what they have today. Bear summarized it very well. AF is not just into statistics, he is a people person whom the players and other personnel love. The Dodgers are now the model all other teams aspire to.
AF is not perfect – he signed Joe Kelly (maybe he will pay off in 2021, but I am not holding my breath. Kike and Barnes were nice role players as is CT3. All-in-all, I have always been a fan of AF and am glad he is on our team!
Liked him before and I like him now. Not all trades/signings will work out but I think his performance is on the plus side. The Dodgers have been to the World Series 3 out of the past 4 years. That says a lot right there. One can also argue that the Dodgers without the 2017 cheating scandal would be winners of 2 of those 3 appearances.
A Jerry Jeff Walker song comes to mind: Always trust your cape.
Thanks Mark……We’ll spread our arms and hold our breath and always trust AF?
There’s an expression out there – “facts don’t care about your feelings.” I would offer a corollary: “stats don’t care about your feelings.”
We become emotionally attached to our favorite players. We like their charisma or the fact that they are home grown Dodgers, It doesn’t matter why, we as fans just view them as part of the Dodger fandom’s family. But you have to make a choice at some point: do you want your favorite players or do you want to win? Do you want to continue to poo poo the use of analytics as a tool, or do you want to use it to win?
We’ve discussed this ad nauseum, but all of those trades made sense when you accept what the end objective was.
Yes, we all grew up with the expectation of the leadoff hitter as the guy who didn’t have a lot of power, but stole bases and got in scoring position. It’s accepted as an article of faith. The reality is you can’t have a leadoff hitter who’s a slap hitter and never walks. Yes, Dee was a likable guy, and we all enjoyed that thing where what’s-his-name (was it Rojas?) held him like a baby in the dugout. Stolen bases are exciting. Light tower power is exciting. Puig’s bat licking antics were fun. If getting rid of them makes the team better, DUMP ‘EM!!
The ONLY thing that matters is how a player’s actions at the plate and on the basepaths contribute to the creation of runs. We now just have more and better ways to measure how that happens. Stolen bases or 450 foot home runs don’t win the games, it’s the actual runs scored that does, and a smart team will get them any way it can.
A person can believe pitch framing is bogus. It’s silly. It just goes to show that we need an electronic strike zone … but it can be verified. Every…single…pitch is recorded for speed, type, vertical and horizontal movement, spin rate, where it exactly it was in or out of the zone, and if it was called a ball or a strike. There’s no question anybody – us even – can see how many more pitches get called strikes that should have been balls, and we know who’s good at doing this.
Do you want to win or not?
I’m very happy with what AF has done in his tenure with the Dodgers …and I think he’s grown and evolved to. Remember, the Dodgers player development system is maybe the best in baseball. This takes more than just being a pocket protector wearing stat nerd. It wasn’t always this way, either. The Dodgers had to clean house after the Cuban obsession debacle gave us Hector Olivera and a bunch of other expensive disasters. AF has come to realize character and work ethic and coachability matter, too. btw, what actually happened to Yadier Alvarez?
Not every organization can throw away money like we did. My early impressions of AF were mixed, based on some questionable moves, most of which we’ve gone over numerous times. Kid in a candy store. But, the Dodgers wealth allowed them these extravagancies and other than looking a lot like Kasten’s Braves it’s worked out ok. We finally got a championship, albeit in the strangest year I’ve ever seen. Is it “repeatable”. The new hip word I see all the time now. Yeah, we can remain good for a long time but championships are capricious. Several in a row just don’t happen. But, here’s a surprise – Dodgers Yankees early 1 2 favorites.
“Throwing money away?” You think the Dodgers got to where they are by throwing money away?
I don’t even know where to begin.
The payroll in the beginning of AF’s tenure was from The Trade, which was a Classic Lesson on how not to build a team.
Totally agree with your assessment of AF Badger. Initially, it was WTH is this guy doing? Several trades, awful Cuban FA signings, and questionable FA pitching signings. I mean he must have wasted at least $150M+ with those moves. But, in the last 4-5 years he has been spectacular. He held steady and waited for the right FA to spend the big bucks on. The recent drafts and player development have been excellent. Three WS appearances on the last four years while continuing to develop talent. Now that’s something we can all be happy about. You’re right, championships are hard to win year after year. Not only talent, but luck is also necessary. That’s what makes it so hard. But, it’s awesome for us Dodger fans that we have had and will continue to have a team that will have a chance to be in the WS every year in the near future.
Always a fan of AF. He’s had some misses. Everyone does. But he hasn’t saddled us with any failed expensive long term deals that are franchise killers. See Arte Moreno! He’s created an incredible environment around the club. You can see players love playing here. And he’s had lots of winning moves. I saw him interviewed on MLB network last night and he said winning the WS was 99% relief and 1% joy. So you know he was feeling the pressure! But d patch hit it on the head. The backbone of this franchise is our player development which is the best in baseball and credit to AF here! Back to back baby! Can’t wait for 21!
There’s a lot to like and some things to dislike about Friedman. Overall, and mostly because he finally won the ‘ship, I like him and think he’s doing a good job. I think we could have had another WS or 2 if he was a bit more aggressive. The easiest point to make is that the ’19 team needed bullpen help all year, and he came up empty at the trade deadline in that area even though a lot of relievers were available. I also hated all the platoons and all the different lineups and complained about them relentlessly over the years. Sure, you can blame Roberts on that, but I also think the front office helps fill out the lineup card daily. You can also make a case that an experienced manager could have maneuvered past post-seasons better and perhaps changing the outcome.
But all is well now with AF and with Doc (aka Mr. Magoo). At least until the new year begins. Let’s see what he does this offseason. My biggest fear as that he fills holes instead of improving the team…
We need a couple of arms for the pen. Are we gonna get guys like McGee trying to reestablish value, or are we gonna get a bona fide closer? Or an iffy starter and try to convert him into a reliever?
We need a right handed bat. Are we gonna get a platoon guy, or are we gonna get a Kris Bryant via trade, sign a George Springer or a DJLM? JT for another year or two? Or, some patchwork.
I think AF has an opportunity to cement a real legacy by getting an impact RH bat and two lockdown late inning relievers. Let’s see how he does. But, right now I think he’s a very good GM. Great or best ever? Let’s get a few more rings first.
Speaking of rings. Theo Epstein ended the two longest World Series droughts in the history of the game. He dispelled 2 curses (The Cubs’ goat curse, and the curse of the Bambino) and has three rings to show for it. Self-admittingly, he likes to build the championship team but looses interest in the maintenance part of it. Andrew Friedman is apparently doing well with the maintenance part of it and maybe somewhere in between would be the best of both worlds.
BTW – Epstein taking over the Padres job next year would be a coup. They have a good core and an ample farm system. The thought of him taking the Padres job is scary. Same with the Blue Jays and for some extent, the Mariners.
“winning the WS was 99% relief and 1% joy. ”
That’s honestly how I’ve felt since Oct 27 as well.
Think how the players must feel. No more Kirk Gibson. No more 32 years and counting. I expect that the team we field next year will be every bit as good as this year’s team. All that talent with all the pressure gone, we could be watching something really special next year. I can’t wait.
I felt it too Bobby. Relief.
I keep hearing we need a RH bat. Then I think… why? So we can out score the opposition by an even wider margin? Well, ok I guess.
Team stats from the last couple of years clearly show we score more and give up less than just about anybody. I think Cleveland had a better RA/G one year but I don’t recall seeing them win it all. So, runs and runs against hasn’t been a problem. OPS maybe? Well, no, the Braves were slightly better but then we beat ‘em. Splits? Well, we OPS’d .778 against LHP in regular season and in the post seas we OPS’d better against LH pitching than we did RH pitching, so that can’t be it.
Tell you what, I’ll just let someone else explain why we need a RH bat.
I want hitters who can hit. I prefer they don’t strike out much but having been an OBP advocate my whole life I’ll accept an .800 OPS in exchange for any guy who insists on swinging out of his shoes with 2 strikes.
This team is solid top to bottom. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing and I’m good.
“In an interview on MLB Network Radio, Friedman listed a right-handed bat as his top priority this offseason:”
https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-news-andrew-friedman-prioritizing-right-handed-hitting-position-player/2020/11/14/
I think many people explain why we need a right handed bat over the last few weeks. I’m not sure what else can possibly convince you. It seems you have dug your heels in and refuse any information that justifies a balanced lineup. Kinda like how Bums always manages to get Joc back into a full time role.
Two can play your game B&P. It just takes arrogance.
Against RHP last season, the Dodgers OPS’ed .837.
Against LHP last season, the Dodgers OPS’ed .778
However, if we look at what Dodgers RH batters did, they OPS’ed .850.
LH Batters OPS’ed .787.
Maybe they just need some better LH Batters.
I would prefer just hitters. I do not care which side of the plate they swing from, but equal numbers against all comers would be preferred. Tony Gwynn did not care if you threw from the top of your head, he could just flat out hit. I think Mookies numbers against lefty’s this season were an anomaly.
Tony Gwynn’s lifetime OPS against lefties was 62 points lower than against righties. And he was one of the greatest hitters of all time.
Yeah….still was .806. And that is simply because Tony was not a power hitter. Only 227 of his over 1000 hits were for extra bases against lefty’s. But he hit .325 against them. I’ll take that anyday.
Or do the players lose that drive that’s been there? More celebrating this off season than working out? There’s a reason teams rarely repeat. It will be interesting which dynamic plays out next year
I think drive has something to do with it. Looking back at the last few years, the Red Sox, Astros, Cubs, Royals all took steps back or lost key players. For the guys that took a step back, it could have to due with loss of drive. It could have to do with pitchers being overworked the previous year. It could be injury like Carlos Correa. Many key players were lost on some of those teams. The Royals lost Mike Moustakas. The Astros lost Evan Gattis. The Cubs lost Fowler. All were key contributors in their World Series years and weren’t replaced adequately.
It will be hard to replace Justin’s right handed no3 hitter in the lineup. Even Justin may not be able to replicate his production as he has been in decline for the last several years. We’re going to have a good chance to be the first team to repeat the 3peat Yankees of 98-20 only if we get that impact RH bat and improve the bullpen.
Is Andrew going to be a boss man, or try to get by with digging in the bargain bin and hoping to get lucky?
You mean like Betts? You can’t have 300 mil players at every position. We’ve got Seager, Belly and Buehler coming up to get paid. We have to trust that Lux and some other young players will produce. It’s worked so far
Oh you could, but you would not have enough money left to eat steak all the time.
I think injury issues come into play as to why teams struggle following a Championship season. In the NFL, just take a look at the 9ers this year, injuries throughout their lineup has sent them from the penthouse to the outhouse.
Teams usually make championship runs when they have a fairly healthy lineup (obviously also requires good players assembled as a team). If the Dodgers take pretty much the same team into next season and then have a rash of injuries to key players, then you have a team that watches the post season rather than play in the post season. At least that’s what I have witnessed time after time after time. Now can Andrew make some deals should injuries occur and keep this train on the tracks, that will be the question, should Miss Hap appear this coming season.
Besides, I’m focused on the Rams this coming Monday night and can the Rams defense put the cabosh on Tom Brady. Also can GM Snead figure out who is going to be an adequate kicker since Miss Fortune and Miss Adventure has come to visit upon the placekicker position. Go Rams!
Along the lines of what Badger was asking, for those who are saying we need an impact RH bat, please explain is that only if the DH returns?
If it’s back to pitchers hitting, do we not sign JT and try to get someone like Bryant?
If no DH and JT returns, where do we play this RH bat? Would the only spot be second base and DJLM? Somehow I doubt that AF will be high bidder for him.
If the DH returns, would it make sense to sign Nelson Cruz or do we need to leave lots of DH at bats for JT?
I already posted the numbers of a Rios/Turner platoon at third. We don’t need a third baseman. Obviously nobody wants a new SS so we stick with our zero dWAR #2 hitter there, drill the living errors right the hell out of Lux and Muncy starting last week in Arizona and our starting 8 is set. I’ll tell you how to do it. I learned it from Rick Bosetti who learned it from Larry Bowa. 100 live ground balls, 60 right handed and 40 left handed, every day in the off season. After those ground balls, and before those ground balls on alternating days, there are 100 cuts in the cages. 60/40 there as well. Not difficult at all to find someone to help with those drills. Bosetti said Bowa himself was available quite a bit in Florida. Hell I could do the ground balls part. I’m a switch hitter, I can ground out easily from both sides of the plate. Would need some help from a left hander in the cages. Of course, many of those cuts can be done in a backyard using visualization. Line drives. If you you can see it in your minds eye, you can do it live. Work work work. The good ones outwork the average ones.
Turner is a sinking ship. His OPS has been declining the last several seasons. Can you keep plugging the holes before he goes underwater waiting for the life boat Hoese to arrive? Or, do you jump ship and get a new right handed bat?
This offseason is an offseason like no other. Last year a former closer coming off a horrible year got 10 mil. This year every team passed on a closer coming off of 4 straight good to great seasons for the same dollar amount.
Let’s see how this shakes out before we bring JT back. We might get an offer that’s too good to pass up for an upgrade.
I think Andrew wants JT back, but he is using your strategy to see how things play out before determining what JT’s value is to the team. That’s why he said JT wasn’t his main priority.
If the Rox give him a deal on Arenado that’s too good to pass up, he may go for it (I find that scenario unlikely but you never know). He may come up with a trade he likes somewhere else. All of that will be factored in before he sits down with JT and I imagine JT understands that as well. He isn’t likely to jump ship tomorrow and knows things will be more defined by the time of the winter meetings.
With regard to JT’s OPS, he got 9 votes for MVP in 2016 with an OPS of .832. Last season it was .860. He hit .307 in 2020 with a .400 OBP. I’m not ready to put him out to pasture yet.
You are correct. JT’s OPS has been declining for the last four years. His OPS has gone from .945 to .924 to .881 to .860. Do you consider .860 OPS is a sinking ship on the precipice of going underwater? Bill James considers an .860 OPS to be in the Very Good category. OTOH, one that you mention, Kris Bryant, has gone from .946 to .834 to .903 to .644. Bryant’s one year arbitration salary is expected to be greater than a two year deal for JT. JT’s OPS was better last year. Are you going to guarantee that Kris Bryant’s decline is not as real as you project JT? Even JT’s rookie season with NYM was not as bad as Bryant’s last year. And only once as a Dodger has JT had an OPS less than .834 and that was .832. Anyone who has followed JT for any amount of time knows that his power does not come until the summer after 2-3 months. Even so, JT far outplayed Kris Bryant last year.
You brought up George Springer? You really think AF is going to pollute his clubhouse with Springer? Why stop there. Why not try to trade for Alex Bregman or Jose Altuve? Those are two RH bats. Or maybe AF should go back to Brian Cashman and try to get Giancarlo Stanton.
I will concede that I have always been a DJLM fan, and he is one RH bat I would absolutely consider. But at what cost? Some are saying 4 years $80MM+. I opined that a 4 year $64MM deal was far more , palatable and reasonable. Maybe he might agree to a 3 year and option with vesting tied to availability (AB, days not on IL). But that is the only FA RH bat that makes sense for the Dodgers. The RH bat will probably come from JT, and I can live with that. As far as other possibilities, let’s wait until the non-tenders are announced. IMO, AF is looking for a RH bat coming off the bench, not filling a starter role. Someone like Tommy Pham could very well get multiple calls.
Jeff, How much of that drop off do you think was due in large part to the multiple injuries he has suffered over the last few years, and the lingering effects of his hammy problems.
I cannot answer that because I have not seen his medicals. Are they chronic? Call me whatever, but I prefer two years of JT to one year of Kris Bryant and the loss of prospects.
You make a good point about Springer. But, I don’t think you really think that Bryant will be worse than JT next year. I love JT and would be happy if we brought him back, but I would be happier if we got Kris Bryant. I still consider a player’s prime years as 27-33 or 28-32. Somewhere in between there. Kris is at the beginning of his prime and Justin’s is in the rear view mirror.
I think you can see for yourself that Bryant’s down years were injury related. And Justin’s OPS jumped 50 points on game 58 last year against the Angels when he went 2-3 with two homers. So while he ended up “Very Good”, he certainly wasn’t for 95% of last season. And well he might just cost about as much as 2 years of JT, he only costs a few million more than JT last year.
If all we end up with is someone like Tommy Pham for that right handed bat, we’re screwed! Hell, everyone hates AJ Pollock, how do you think people are gonna like Pham?
All I’m saying is that we have an opportunity to improve a spot instead of filling a hole. JT is a big hole to fill and a Tommy Pham isn’t going to cut it if you want another ring.
One more thing to consider is that none of us know what this team is willing to spend on payroll. You and I have argued about this ad nauseum. They had a high of 346 million in 2015 to a low of 208 in 2018. None of us know what the next CBA will look like and there’s talk about extending the current CBA another year. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the next couple of years and there was even more uncertainty when they dished out the brinks truck to Mookie. So, I don’t think that an “extra” 4-5 million is going kill them. Bryant 18.6 million last year, not gonna get a big raise this year vs 16 million for JT last year.
No, not everybody hates AJ Pollock and his .881 OPS and 16 HRs. Most fans are concerned that he will not stay healthy, but most agree that when he is healthy, he is often quite good, just as he was in 2020.
So we can cherry pick games to eliminate to change a batter’s OPS? How about I cherry pick a couple of 0-fer games.
I am not convinced that Kris Bryant is as good as you think he is, just as Bryce Harper is not that special player that you thought he was.
I am not as disappointed about the current LAD roster as you appear to be. They are the WS champion, scored more runs than any other team, and they need a questionable Kris Bryant to give them a better chance than JT?
I recognize that you believe that the Dodgers should not have budgetary constraints. Perhaps AF should sign Trevor Bauer, Liam Hendriks, Marcell Ozuna, DJLM, Trevor Rosenthal, and Brad Hand. He could then trade multiple prospects for Kris Bryant. If AF wants to guarantee he can get Bryant, he would need to make the trade so Bryant would not be a FA to sign with any team. Would that be enough for you?
I have been dubious about Friedman’s process. I am suspicious of decision making which is fundamentally based on computer analysis of statistics and doesn’t consider the human element. While all MLB franchises now include analysis in their decision making, some (like the Astros and A’s) are more statistically oriented than others. I didn’t/don’t want the Dodgers to join them.
Many/most of the home grown talent on the Dodgers’ roster pre-date Friedman’s tenure, although his fingerprints are all over the most recent infusion of talent. And his willingness to pull the trigger on the Mookie Betts deal is the difference between 7 years of post-season torture and this year’s championship.
My overview:
1 – While Farhan Zaidi was GM, the Dodgers played more platoons, struck out more and put the ball in play less and focused on the HR more, and had more “player churn”. Since then, Friedman has acted as his own GM and I like the baseball that the Dodgers are playing now better than when Zaidi was GM.
2 – Friedman has improved the clubhouse culture markedly since he arrived. He has moved to eliminate prima donnas, malcontents and uncoachable players and created a more cohesive squad, proving that he is not just about the numbers, but that the human element is part of his calculations.
3 – Anderson, McCarthy and Kazmir were a mistake period. Mark commented that that they won 32 games for $150MM as if that’s a good deal. Kazmir was signed to 3 years, $48MM and pitched 1 season. He was a .5 WAR pitcher (10 – 6, 4.54). Anderson signed a 1 year $10MM deal and then accepted a qualifying offer of $15.8MM. In 2 seasons he was 11 – 11 and was a net .8 WAR pitcher. McCarthy was signed for 4 years $48MM and 11 – 7 and was a net .4 WAR pitcher. So, for 9 pitcher seasons, the 3 of them were 32 – 24 (average 3.55 pitcher wins/season) with a net total of 1.7 WAR. I guess a $1MM doesn’t buy as much WAR as it used to.
4 – The Dodgers under Friedman have almost always kept their best prospects and traded away players who were never going to make a difference.
5 – The most important thing that Friedman has done is to bring the Dodgers’ player development process into the 21st Century. You can argue that the Dodgers do a better job with player development than any team in baseball. They consistently mine the minors for talent even though they draft late. The depth that the Dodgers have is the result. Look at last year – as many have commented, the Dodgers let Ryu and Maeda go and lost Price to a COVID opt-out and still had starting pitching that was as good as anyone’s and was 100% home grown.
So Kudos to Andrew Friedman. And may the Dodgers keep winning.
Point #3 – AF was not going to obligate the Dodgers to long-term deals and he signed those guys rather than do that. I think he would do exactly the same thing again. They filled spots for a while until the farm started delivering.
Excellent article, Bear!
And good analysis by dodgerrick.
I agree that the signings of Kazmir, Anderson, and McCarthy were mistakes. But I attribute the signings more to Farhan and his ties to the Oakland A’s. Also, Friedman had to navigate the opt out in Greinke contract that I think was negotiated by Colletti.
Overall, Friedman has done a great job building the farm system, player development, and a winning culture at the major league level. He has certainly made mistakes, but Dodgers are lucky to have him.
This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for when I thought about and wrote this article. We all had our own opinions of AF from the beginning. And yes, winning is more important than how much you might like a player. I did not know how Kemp was in the clubhouse and I did not really care. Since I was more old school than saber metric geek things like RBI’s and BA meant more to me than WAR. And Kemp drove in runs. And before the mishap in Colorado, he was a decent CF. But things happen and players change. MJ and I used to argue on a different site about Pederson all the time. She was insistent that he should be traded and I disagreed. Her argument always had merit and she always accused me of playing favorites. Joc was not a favorite, I just looked at the game a lot different than she did. Just like all of us look at AF from different points of view. I understand his modus operandi a little better. And I have tried to understand the way they evaluate players now. An example was when Kike hit .307 in 2015, his first year as a Dodger, and then hit .190 in 16. I thought he should have been gone right then and there. AF saw something I did not. And in the long run, he was rewarded for his patience and knowing his player. Kike has not come close to that lofty average since, but his value as a defensive sub, and when he was raking against LHP, made him a valuable piece of the overall puzzle, He is right, the pressure is gone now. Repeating the accomplishment will be a lot tougher. The NL has been gunning for the Dodgers the last several years. Now the entire league has painted a target on their back making AF’s job all that much more difficult. There are a lot of decisions looming for him over the next 3 months before spring training starts. I think he will do his best to replace what he feels needs replacing. On this day in 1949, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player to win a MVP award beating out Musial, Kiner, and Pee Wee Reese. . Dodgers said to be the front runners now to sign top catching prospect Jesus Galiz. Galiz is 16 and considered the #7 prospect in the international pool.
Dodgers appear to be signing 2 of the top 10 international prospects. They’ve snagged a young catcher away from the Yankees. Wilman Diaz (SS) is the #2 prospect.
I could see Ruiz dealt in a Hader deal if they value Cartaya more. As much as more wants to move Will Smith to another position he is the catcher for the next few years.
The catcher is Jesus Galiz as I posted on the previous post. They cannot sign them yet, but they will as soon as the International signing window opens. They have a little over 5 million for that pool of players. Yes, I can see them moving a catcher soon, but, Galiz is just 16, and Cartaya is just 19. He needs a little more seasoning.
Breaking news on ESPN, Robinson Cano has tested positive for PED’s and will be suspended for the entire 2021 season and forfeit his 24 million dollar salary per Jeff Passan.
That proves he is a dumba$$!
Boy, the Mets caught a big break there!
haha they sure did! Cohen now has more money to spend!
Looks like DJLM will stay in NY.
Yep, and that opens the door to a trade for Lindor.
Rumor has it that Lindor and his agent persuaded Cano to take PEDs. Cunning move.
*BEAR SARCASM ALERT, no response required*
Lol
I got it…sheesh, I am not that dim witted. …..but I wouldn’t put it past them….LOL.
For a season. Then they are back on the hook for two more years of his deal. Certainly explains his jump in numbers.
Really enjoyed the article, Bear, and also the question you posed to us. Did anyone read the book, “Good to great,” by James Collins? It’s one of the best books on management ever written. It asks the question, “Why do some companies flare out, while others achieve sustained excellence?” They researched both kinds of companies, the good and the great. They discovered a management style that characterized the great ones. AF fits that style to a T. A sustained commitment to excellence requires management that can put its ego aside. The company isn’t all about them. Think Warren Buffet versus Elon Musk. Which will produce the better record over the long haul? Buffet has been doing it for 50 years! Musk? We’ll see.
AF’s speech on winning the championship, and his comment about 99% relief and 1% joy, says it all. I also resonate with all of the comments about player development. Player development isn’t sexy. Signing FA’s to expensive, long-term contracts is. AF had the self-discipline to pass on lots of FA’s wanting mega-year contracts. Then he pulled the trigger on the one who brought us over the finish line: Mookie.
It’s true that AF has made mistakes. But everyone does. The question is, has he learned from them? I haven’t seen any acquisitions like Kazmir or McCarthy for a while. Even AJ Pollack showed his worth this year.
A dynasty is by definition sustained excellence. AF’s track record so far is impressive. Will we necessarily even make it to the WS next year? We may not. Baseball also requires a lot of luck. However, we know that AF will field a team that is capable of making it there, year after year. The book, “Good to great,” looked at a track record of 20 years to judge if a company was great. I think that AF is well on the way, and we Dodgers fans have a lot to be grateful for.
Thanks David. Like I said, I am just starting to get it. And you are right, he has not signed guys to deals like that in a while. Kelly got 3 years, but a lot of that was based on what he did in the 18 series. Not on his overall production. The only other deal he gave that was close was his Rich Hill contract. At least they got some mileage out of Dick Mountain. Pollock actually when you look at the stats was not horrible in 19. He actually was the teams best hitter for a while as the season closed down. What most remember is the fact that he had an awful playoff series against the Nats.
That’s exactly what I mean about Pollock (The Rodney Dangerfield of the Dodgers). JT is very good with a 860 OPS and Pollock was not horrible with an 881 OPS and tied for the team lead in homers. lol
One other thing about Belli’s surgery. My son had a chronic condition where his shoulder would easily dislocate. The Navy did surgery and it is better. But it did not entirely fix the problem. He still suffers severe shoulder stiffness sometimes. In his job it does not affect his performance. But with the right shoulder being Cody’s front when he is hitting, the use it gets could become a bigger problem down the road.
This is BIG NEWS:
Ron Fowler Steps Down As Padres’ Chairman; Peter Seidler Named Control Person!
He is the son of Peter O’Mally’s Daughter.
Wow. If I remember right, weren’t the Seidler’s part owners when Walter owned the team? I remember the name for some reason. I also remember that the top rookie of spring training used to get what was called the Dearie Mulvey award. Mulvey was the daughter of Stephen McKeever who was along with Charles Ebbets a owner of the Dodgers. She inherited a 25% ownership of the team from her dads estate. And retained it until 1975 when Walter bought her out.
BTW, Reggie Smith was a better player than Garvey.
And more likeable.
Well he may have been better liked, and he hit more homers, he had a much higher WAR. Garv’s career numbers are better in a few categories like hits, BA, RBI’s but he had quite a few more at bats. Reggie never placed higher than 4 in the MVP voting. Garvey won the MVP in 1974. He actually beat out 2 other Dodgers for the honor, Mike Marshall, the pitcher finished 3rd in the voting and Jimmy Wynn, who had a WAR that year 3.3 points higher than Garvey was at #5. Point is, neither have the numbers associated with the Hall. In Reggie’s case I think his injuries over the years hurt his production. Garvey was simply consistent. Had his power numbers been better for the position he played, he would be in already. But he was simply not a power hitter, he won no batting titles. Had he hit over .300 for his career and had say 350 dingers, he would have gotten a lot more pump. Garvey recieved his highest percentage of votes in his third year on the ballot 42.6. And in the ensuing years topped 40% only once more. Reggie on the other hand got 0.6 his only year on the ballot. 1988.
I think Seidler is Peter O’Malley’s nephew and the son of Walter O’Malley’s daughter.
Last I heard, Peter owns a piece of the Padres.
Why is that big news?
Because he is now in control. Not Fowler
Don’t confuse our local contrarian
People close to this are not really surprised. It’s been more or less known for some time Fowler, 76, would be leaving. It’s not really BIG NEWS.
Adding Lindor would be like having two Betts. Entertaining base running, entertaining defense, and entertaining at bats.
Gotta love your persistence Bum..okay, given the choice who do you want more? Lindor or Torres? You can only have one.
Joc!
Cassidy, you are if nothing else consistent. I do like Joc, I just think he wants at least a 3 year deal and a chance to play every day and he is not going to get either in LA> I honestly think he is going to sign with the Giants.
My guess would be the White Sox. I think it will be a two year contract. I also think if he has a choice it will be a team that lets him play full time. He looked like a hitter and not just a big swinger during the playoffs and had good at bats against lefties.
If I were the Angels I would sign Joc and trade Adel for pitching.
I have only beat the Lindor drum a few times and not lately. Lindor would be much more fun to watch than Torres and Joc combined.
Good article Bear.
I’ve always liked Andrew Friedman, ever since reading about him in the book back in the day.
Bright guy. I wouldn’t have dealt Matt Kemp or Dee Gordon, but I understood the approach. Initially I thought we ended up with pretty good young pitcher, but he was spun to the Angels for Howie Kendrick.
But I think his vision was solid and the approach made sense. There was always the big contract issue, but he settled that with Mookie Betts. Doesn’t get much bigger than that. Never thought he wouldn’t move in that direction, the Dodgers financial resources and all.
He’s certainly put together a program that has built an incredible team and kept the minor league intact. So what’s not to like?
Thanks. I appreciate the kudos. Yeah, I did not like either trade at the time, but at least they got something good out of the Gordon trade since both Kike and Barnes have been pretty solid. Hatcher sucked big time, but they did not keep him long, and Kendrick made some solid contributions his couple of years in LA> Rollins on the other hand dropped off dramatically after a hot start. They got him for Elfin from the Phillies and he came in the Kemp trade. I never liked Grandal. Just my opinion. Mark is right, they got offense with him that was pretty good and he came with the label of one of the best pitch framers in the game. But his defense and game calling were just abysmal in my opinion, and he just irritated me for some reason. I think his PED suspension had a lot to do with it so I did not think he was a stellar citizen. The other reason was how god awful he was in clutch situations and his penchant for hitting into rally killing double plays.
I liked AF from the beginning.
1. He knows for the Dodgers to be good every year it has to happen with the farm system. Every year there must be one, two or three kids come up that help. He has traded some farm kids, but these kids were not going to be difference makers. He has kept all the good prospects. He did trade some good prospects for Mookie. It was worth it. The ones he traded were surplus players at a position.
2. He is faithful to the Dodger players. I think he will sign Seager, Beuhler, and Bellinger. These are good players and good in the clubhouse. He likes players who are good teammates. He got rid of the malcontents.
3. I want to say this about Doc. I was not a fan of his because he did everything by the book. This year he finally managed with his eyes. They ran more. Maybe this was Mookie doing this on his own. Last year Doc would not of allowed Urias to finish the last game. He stayed with a hot hand. They would manufacture runs. Last year is was HR or a strikeout. The only thing I do not like is that Roberts will not stay with a starting pitcher long enough. He has come a long ways. So has AF.
100% agree with you
Anyone concerned about Bellinger’s shoulder surgery? Matt Kemp’s career was not the same after his shoulder surgery.
Not the same type of injury. Belli’s surgery is to stabilize his shoulder because it has been dislocated a couple of times. Kemp virtually ruined his when he crashed into the wall at Coors. He had a torn labrum which is more serious.
I have read the book Good to Great and actually did a presentation on it once. I have to agree with Rick on number 3 a total waste of money along with Guerrero, Alvarez, etc. just a bunch of terrible spending.
But, the most egregious thing AF has done is allow the overuse of Kershaw. While he was blowing dollar after dollar for bums when you add it all up we could have had some good players. Instead we never went after a decent pitcher. Instead when we had kershaw and Greinke we had a great number 3 (sarcasm)in Anderson, McCarthy etc. we may have won more playoff games and a World Series or 2 if we had not wasted kershaws prime with rotation all stars like the aforementioned Anderson and McCarthy. The Dodgers continued to pitch kershaw on short rest ( he was good mostly) and then pitch him too long because of a horrible bullpen. I contend the Dodgers lack of support for kershaw in the starting rotation and bullpen helped to create the stigma that kershaw fell apart in October. The Dodgers have come a long way baby!
I said sometime back that we are the model franchise with the bulk of the credit going to AF. The ownership and kasten certainly made it a team effort. Kasten certainly had a fantastic run in Atlanta. Af has built the farm, strengthened player development, and improved the scouting system. The Dodgers are deep and exceptional in most areas. He has used his financial might to swing most deals. In the trade area he paid to get rid of maeda etc the list is long.
Today the Dodgers are over the hump with a young, talented, and a very deep team. LA is looking forward to the future where they will be dealing from an area of strength. Right now AF is in a position to go down in history as one of the greatest ever to work in his position. He just needs to stay with LA elevate and maintain what he has built. He is in a great spot now due in large part to his work and now he only needs longevity and continued success.Go Dodgers!!
Greinke was only with the Dodgers for one season under AF. But think how much different that season might have been had Ryu been healthy and able to pitch. He missed the entire season. When he came back in 16 he only pitched in 1 game. Having a healthy Ryu would have reduced the strain on CK significantly. In 13 and 14 they basically had a big 3 as Kersh, Ryu and Greinke all had 14 plus wins those 2 years. And Kersh was an MVP in 2014, In 13 the loss to the Cardinals was basically due to losing Ramirez when Kelly broke his rib with a pitch. In 14 they lost to the Cardinals again when Kersh had a meltdown in game 1.
Robinson Cano tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs for the second time of his career, the team announced Wednesday. He will be suspended for the entirety of the 2021 season, forfeiting his $24 million salary.
Already posted on an earlier post. He is a moron.
I was pretty excited when we hired Friedman., who had a fine reputation in Tampa. And he has done well, though I think that if the Red Sox had signed Betts or not traded him, we would still be waiting for a championship.. I don’t know how much some of the decisions on whom to sign, how much to spend on a free agent, are ownership’s or Friedman’s. It was pretty obvious that one of the reasons he was hired, was ownership’s effort to play a version of moneyball, though with more resources than the A’s. It is possible that the signing of Betts was largely because ownership realized that fans were getting very tired of never winning a title. It was a smart and bold move, but we must admit that it was not the way they had been usually handling things.
I was quite disappointed in our failure to sign certain free agents, or make certain acquisitions at the trade deadline. We did do some of that, but I did very much want Verlander instead of Darvish, and I wanted Lester earlier, and Zach Britton. And I wanted Stanton, and that may well have been a miscalculation on my part, though he may still do big things. I realize that we can’t get everybody, but somehow we did not get enough top players to win a title, until this year. And yes, the Astros cheated, and we may well have won another one if we had played the Yankees instead, assuming the Astros were not allowed to be in the playoffs.
All in all, one has to be at least substantially pleased with Friedman’s work. I was not happy that we hired Roberts, and still do not think that he is a very good game manager, but we do have the title, and Roberts will be here for another decade if he wants. I certainly give AF credit for keeping the team highly competitive every year, though the division has mostly been weak. Finally, the next few years will show us if the Dodgers and Friedman can handle the fact that three of our four best players will be major free agents, and that we either need to sign them, or replace them with comparable talent. When I had suggested this year that our window was closing, I was thinking of Kershaw ending his career, Turner as well; those three free agents. It will take some very good maneuvering by Friedman, and some more willingness to spend by the owners, to keep us on top. Let’s see how driven the ownership is to do that, or whether they will be satisfied with the one title, as it appeared that Kasten’s Braves were. I cannot think of another GM I would rather have at this point, which is not to say that he has proven himself to be one of the greats just yet, someone like Buzzie Bavasi, who got Moon for Cimoli, Osteen for Howard, Perranoski for Zimmer, and helped us to win four pennants and three championships.
‘
Buzzie took over in 1951, so he won 8 pennants and 4 World Series. He was a tough negotiator and pretty much typical of the era. His biggest challenge was getting both Koufax and Big D under contract in 1966 since they both were threatening to sit out the season. Eventually they both signed and the Dodgers won their last pennant under Buzzie. He left after the 1968 season was over and Al Campanis became the GM. Campanis was always accused of over valuing his players. And he even traded his own son, Jim Campanis Campanis was then part of the package in 1970 that brought Bruce Dal Canton, Freddie Patek, and Jerry May to the Royals. You have to admire Drew Brees fortitude. He had his lung punctured and a couple ribs broke during the game. Unknown to him, he also had a couple ribs broken the game before, yet started the game against the 9ers. I watched a video on MLB.tv of Lasorda’s Hall of Fame speech. It was classic Tommy. As always Tommy is an excellent story teller. He was talking about when the living members of the 55 team were honored at Dodger Stadium. He was talking to Pee Wee and he asked Pee Wee that if he were told back in 1955 that one of the members of the team would end up managing the Dodgers, where would he have placed Tommy, and Tommy said 25th right? Pee Wee said no, 24th. Why 24th asked Lasorda, because Amoros can’t speak English replied Pee Wee. He also told a story about the Dodgers playing the Reds, and he and John McNamara, who was the Reds skipper at the time both went to mass to pray for a win. They walked out together and Mac told Tommy to go ahead he would be right out. So Tommy does not go out but watches to see what Mac is doing and he is lighting a candle. So Tommy waits and as soon as Mac is out of sight he goes over and blows out the candle. Then during the game he keeps yelling at Mac, hey it ain’t gonna work, I blew the candle out! Dodgers crushed the Reds that day 13-3. Later on that year Tommy gets a post card from Mac who is in Rome at the Vatican and on the back it said, lets see you blow this candle out! Classic.
Bear,, I was counting the titles in LA, but Bavasi was important in Brooklyn, too, though I would give most of the credit for 1947-1956 to Branch Rickey, who built the incredible Dodgers farm system, even if he wasn’t there after O’Malley wedged him out.
That’s cool. Most of that roster was Rickey’s. All of the black players were signed during his tenure including Gilliam who did not make it until after Rickey had left. Just think if Brooklyn would have had a little better pitching and some luck. It seemed like something bad always happened in those World Series. Even in 1956 after they won the first two games. Then Larsen throws his perfect game in game 5. In game 2 they scored 4 runs off of Larsen. Newcombe was totally ineffective in game 2 and put them behind the 8 ball, but they came back and won 13-8. After losing the middle 3 games, they tied the series 3-3 and then got blown out in game 7. Newcombe only pitched 4.1 innings in the entire series and gave up 11 earned runs. Not exactly the kind of performance you would expect from a guy who won the Cy Young and MVP awards.
It looks like the Dodgers will not be spending much money this Winter:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30344941/world-series-champion-los-angeles-dodgers-latest-mlb-team-implement-layoffs-amid-pandemic
We will find out details later…
Who, When, Why?
Just hope we dont have to layoff anyone from LADT!
Report on Yahoo sports says Baez is seeking a 3 year deal. If true, I think he will not be back. Also there was a story on former Dodger Micah Johnson. He is now a contemporary artist.