The Los Angeles Dodgers have an established track record of being one of the most proficient teams in the Majors at swinging trade deadline deals under president of baseball operations.
The irony is that the annual MLB trade deadline is one of the least anticipated periods for Friedman.
In a perfect world, Friedman would prefer to be in position to compete for a World Series while also being a seller at the trade deadline in order to capitalize on the inflated prices. But he’s acknowledged that’s not necessarily a realistic expectation.
The Dodgers did their best to address as many of their needs as possible during this past offseason and added an outstanding amount of talent in the process. However, it’s nigh impossible to account for every potential outcome over a 162-game regular season, and the possibility of injury is ever present.
“We’ve talked about it a lot. Obviously, our goal going into each year is to win a championship, and as we’ve gotten into years, some years we’ve had to be more aggressive in July, and some years not as aggressive,” Friedman recently said.
“But the one thing that has stood every year is it is the worst time to try to add players. So for us going into this offseason, it was, let’s do everything we can on the frontend. Let’s be as aggressive we can be and be in a position where we don’t have to go to market in July.
“Obviously things can happen and you never know, but that’s our game plan.”
The Dodgers roster has already been dealt some sizable blows, with Blake Snell, Blake Treinen and Tyler Glasnow among those to go on the injured list.
While Treinen’s situation seems more dire, the positive news is none of the three pitchers have been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound isn’t expected to be as soon as the Dodgers initially hoped for, but he’s still expected to resume pitching at some point in 2025.
There is a lot of time between now and when the MLB trade deadline is on July 31, which leaves plenty of room for the makeup and needs of the roster to change.
Whatever the case, the Dodgers have proven a willingness to make trades even if Friedman isn’t particularly found of the deadline.
MLB trade deadline: Dodgers history
Despite a disdain for making deals during the season, Friedman has proven masterful with orchestrating deals at the trade deadline during his time with the Dodgers. He has consistently found a way to trade for the hottest name on the market year over year, acquiring Yu Darvish, Manny Machado, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, in addition to others.
For all intents and purposes, only the Yordan Alvarez trade with the Houston Astros in 2016 has come back to proverbially haunt the Dodgers.
Last season was no different, as the Dodgers were able to pay a minuscule cost for a cornerstone piece in Tommy Edman, as well as complimentary the likes of Michael Kopech and Jack Flaherty.
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