The Los Angeles Dodgers loaded their roster with several high-priced additions during the offseason, filling key needs in multiple areas.
It came after president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers front office collectively maintained the focus that they would be aggressive in pursuing top-end talent.
Their efforts culminated in the additions of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernández, among other players such as James Paxton, Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly, Jason Heyward and Manuel Margot.
Although the Dodgers front office has typically been aggressive trying to upgrade their roster, oftentimes things just don’t work out for various reasons. That’s why Friedman is thankful things played out the way they did this offseason, per Jack Harris of L.A. Times:
“We feel really fortunate with the way things lined up this offseason,” Friedman said. “That being said, we’ve seen a lot of teams ‘win an offseason.’ So for us, that was an important step. But the most vital steps are this six-week period, as we get into the season.”
After a historic offseason, the Dodgers now turn their attention to preparing for the season with the hopes their spending pays off in a big way.
The Dodgers are looking to avoid another early postseason exit, to which they’ve suffered defeats in the National League Division Series in back-to-back years against division rivals San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Andrew Friedman happy Clayton Kershaw re-signed with Dodgers
The Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw agreed to a contract that will pay him a reported $10 million guaranteed, with a base salary of $5 million and incentives that could boost the value to $12.5 million in 2024.
The deal also includes a player option for the 2025 season, which gives Kershaw the opportunity to pitch another season should he not return from the injured list in 2024, or even if he just wants one more full season.
Friedman and the Dodgers front office were focused on keeping Kershaw with the team, much having to do with his importance to the franchise.
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