The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the offseason with an open-minded approach in regards to shaking up the roster.
After another disappointing postseason exit, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed that he would be aggressive, but not reckless, in negotiations with players and other teams.
The Dodgers reportedly had Gerrit Cole atop their wishlist before he agreed to a record-breaking nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees. L.A. reportedly offered him an eight-year, $300 million pact with deferrals, finishing second in the sweepstakes.
The Dodgers additionally struck out on signing Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, although the latter admitted to having no interest in joining L.A.
To this point, the Dodgers have made just one signing, fortifying their bullpen with the addition of former Oakland Athletics closer Blake Treinen.
On the subtraction side of things, L.A. saw its top internal free agent in Hyun-Jin Ryu depart for the Toronto Blue Jays on a four-year, $80 million contract. Rich Hill and Russell Martin remain on the open market as well, though they could conceivably return to the organization if the opportunity arises.
In what has been a relatively quiet offseason to this point, Clayton Kershaw believes the Dodgers already have a great team heading into the 2020 season, and that the front office will make appropriate changes to the roster as they deem necessary, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It’s such a hard question for me to answer. Just because bluntly, the postseason, if I pitch better, we probably are winning. So, it’s like, it’s not an easy question for to answer. We’re in a great spot again, we’ve got a great team. We lost Richie, lost Ryu, lost Russ, we’ve lost a few guys. But I think Andrew will make necessary adjustments where he sees fit and I think we’re going to be in a great spot to win the division again.”
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman acknowledged wanting to add elite talent to the roster this offseason. The club has been connected to many players that fit the bill, including Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor and Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts.
While Friedman hopes to complete a blockbuster before Opening Day, he recently noted that he doesn’t feel pressured to overhaul the Dodgers roster for the sake of simply making moves.
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