The Los Angeles Dodgers have enjoyed record success in terms of reigning over the National League West in each of the past seven years, but their quest to end the franchise’s World Series drought has continued to linger on.
They were painfully close in 2017, falling to the Houston Astros in seven games in what was considered an all-time classic World Series but now is marred by a cheating scandal.
L.A. returned to the Fall Classic last year but were overmatched against the Boston Red Sox. They remained determined to capture the elusive World Series title and won a franchise-record 106 games this past season, only to be eliminated by the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series.
Despite the disappointing finish, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained he doesn’t believe the roster needs to see turnover simply for the sake of doing so, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I don’t feel like we need to shake things up just to shake things up,” Friedman said of the need for changes to put the Dodgers over the top. “I actually think this was as focused, committed and driven a group as I’ve been around. So I don’t feel like we need to shake up to change the complexion of our roster in terms of personality or talent. “But we’re open to exploring different ways to increase those chances.”
Thus far the Dodgers’ lone acquisition in the offseason has been the signing of Blake Treinen to a one-year contract. They did lose Hyun-Jin Ryu to the Toronto Blue Jays on a four-year, $80 million contract, and Rich Hill and Russell Martin remain free agents.
Despite the lack of activity, the Dodgers were prominently connected to the likes of Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg prior to each signing their respective contract. Now L.A. appears to be at the center of the trade market behind reported discussions with the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians.
And though Friedman doesn’t believe the Dodgers roster needs to undergo changes for the mere formality of it, he has acknowledged wanting to add elite talent this winter.
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