The 2020 season may be shortened to 60 games, but that was still plenty of time for the Los Angeles Dodgers to assert their dominance as they have secured an eighth consecutive National League West title, the best record in the NL and are on the verge of a 40th win.
Going into the season, no one was really sure how much depth would come into play for teams considering 60 games is a significantly fewer amount than the normal length.
The Dodgers’ depth was put to the test early though due to a multitude of injuries, and they were up to the challenge as Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin have been great in the rotation, and Chris Taylor has been superb while moving all around the field, to name a few examples.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is the man responsible for putting the roster together through the draft and development of talented young players, key free-agent signings and trades as well.
In a recent interview with Andy McCullough of The Athletic, Friedman stated that he feels this is the best team he has put together since joining the organization in 2014:
“I haven’t done an extensive comparison, but at quick blush, I feel like this is our deepest team that we’ve had, and arguably the most talented,” Friedman said. “But beyond that, I think there’s a level of focus and desire that — even as much as (it has) been a strength in years past — this time feels different.”
Friedman’s big move last offseason was trading for Mookie Betts and then inking him to a 12-year contract extension on the eve of Opening Day. That move is looking like a great one as Betts may be the NL’s MVP in 2020 and is already also doing great work in the local community.
This team isn’t judged on how they perform in the regular season, however. With the start of the postseason just around the corner, the Dodgers’ real season is about to begin and anything short of winning a World Series will be considered a failure.
Friedman confident in rotation options
Perhaps the biggest question mark for the Dodgers going into October is who will fill out the starting rotation after Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler.
Friedman opted not to acquire an arm at the trade deadline, expressing confidence in May, Gonsolin and Julio Urias.
“Obviously we’ve got Julio, Dustin, Tony,” Friedman recently. “I don’t know exactly how things will play out, but I feel very confident we’re going to have an extremely talented pitching staff come October.
“Exactly how guys are deployed remains to be seen, but similar to Walker in 2018, Dustin and Tony got some experience last year in the postseason. We not only believe in their ability but we also believe in them as competitors and feel good with them helping us in our pursuit of winning a championship.”
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