The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the midst of a historic stretch that includes nine consecutive trips to the postseason, eight National League West titles, three NL pennants and one World Series championship.
The successful run began on May 2, 2012, when Guggenheim Baseball Management purchased the franchise for a then-record $2 billion. The new ownership group immediately put their financial resources into improving the roster, which led to a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox that August.
The Dodgers acquired Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto in a deal that added over $250 million in salary. While it was the Red Sox who first won a World Series following the trade, it nevertheless marked the start of a promising new era for L.A.
The Dodgers went on to hire Andrew Friedman as president of baseball operations at the end of the 2014 season, who helped restore a once-proud farm system that has been key to the club’s reign of success.
Gonzalez credited the ownership group and front office for building a sustainable winner during a recent appearance on CBS Los Angeles:
“More than anything it’s talent. They’ve got great ownership. The best ownership in baseball, great front office, but it’s the talent. Being able to cycle through players, but they keep getting great talent. It’s all about the talent and atmosphere that the great community has built.”
As Gonzalez noted, the Dodgers have been able to consistently field a competitive roster despite occasionally losing contributors in free agency.
That can be attributed to a Minor League pipeline that is widely considered one of the best in baseball, even when factoring in recent blockbuster trades for Manny Machado, Mookie Betts and David Price, and Max Scherzer and Trea Turner.
In addition to revamping the roster and farm system, the Dodgers’ ownership and front office have prioritized bolstering the scouting department while also ushering in multiple waves of upgrades to Dodger Stadium.
Gonzalez among past and present Dodgers to pay tribute to Vicente Fernández
Famed Mexican signer Vicente Fernández passed away earlier this year at the age of 81. His impact was felt most in Mexico, but several members of the Dodgers organization — both past and present — posted tributes on social media.
Gonzalez shared a message on Twitter, and so too did Spanish-language broadcaster Jamie Jarrín.
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