One reason the Los Angeles Dodgers have had so much success recently, which includes winning seven straight division championships, has been the work of their expansive front office.
Since Andrew Friedman took over as president of baseball operations, the Dodgers have not only made the postseason every year and reached the World Series the last two, but they have also consistently maintained a top 10 farm system.
A lot of that has to do with the organization’s scouting department and ability to find talent through the draft, but it also is a credit to the front office and player development staff for grooming young players into Major League stars.
One area Friedman has put an emphasis on for the front office is getting as many talented voices together as possible in the room. He has hired many executives who had prominent front office jobs with other organizations such Farhan Zaidi, Josh Byrnes, Alex Anthopoulos and others.
Another member of the Dodgers’ front office is special assistant Raul Ibañez, who had a solid Major League career in which he hit 305 home runs in 19 seasons.
Ibañez has received a lot of praise for his ability to relate and communicate with players, especially since he can speak multiple languages. With so many managerial openings right now, his name has come up a lot as he has been linked to teams like the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs.
It appears that he has no interest in entertaining the thought of becoming a manager right now though, via Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“It’s not the right time for me,” he said Monday.
Because of the success they’ve had, Dodgers coaches and front office members have seemingly been poached by other organizations every offseason since Friedman took over.
Dodgers bench coach Bob Geren was also recently linked to the Giants’ managerial opening, so it appears Zaidi is looking for someone he is familiar with to replace Bruce Bochy.
