Coming off back-to-back World Series appearances and three consecutive trips to the National League Championship Series, it’s hardly a surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers coaching staff has again been poached by other clubs this offseason.
Among the notable losses this time around include former third base and infield coach Chris Woodward, who accepted the Texas Rangers’ managerial opening. Likewise, former hitting coach Turner Ward joined the Cincinnati Reds in the same capacity as an effort to move closer to his family.
Both Woodward and Ward were revered by Dodgers players over the course of their time in Los Angeles. Particularly Justin Turner, who was disappointed but understanding of their decisions to depart the organization.
While acknowledging the losses of Woodward and Ward, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed that he expects to fill their vacancies within the next week, via SportsNet LA:
“It’s been crazy since we finished playing. Last year we lost a lot of people as well, and this year kind of continued that trend. I guess that’s the price of success. If that’s the case, hopefully we lose a lot more people next year as well. We’ve got a number of spots to fill and we’re getting close on our coaching staff. I expect to have an announcement on that next week. We feel really good about where we kind of ended up. Obviously, we lost some important people.”
With the month of November drawing to a close, it makes sense that Friedman wants to finalize the Dodgers’ 2019 coaching staff as soon as possible.
Doing so would allow him to focus on finally hammering out a new extension with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Moreover, with the Winter Meetings coming up, Friedman could then direct his full attention on upgrading the roster through trades and free agency.
