The Los Angeles Dodgers added a new dimension to their team-building approach the past two years as the front office seemingly embraced their ability to splurge on free agents in a manner they never had before.
In a way, the Dodgers finally capitalized on the advantages afforded to them under the Guggenheim ownership group and combining that with the benefits that have always been at their disposal as a team residing in Southern California.
It has resulted in the Dodgers taking the top spot as a destination for marquee free agents, as well as retaining their own players. This didn’t just happen by accident, as every decision that has gone into constructing the Dodgers as an organization has been made with this outcome in mind.
“Obviously players want to be in a place where they know ownership is committed to winning. And then on top of that, we take a lot of pride in our family programs, our culture and how we treat players, doing everything first class, and having that reputation throughout the game of we’re going to take care of our players and their families, is important to us,” general manager Brandon Gomes recently explained.
“We know that if our players can focus on the field and not have to worry about things off the field and know that they’re taken care of, that’s one less thing they need to worry about and they can pour more energy into the field. It’s a little bit of everything, weather, stadium, fans, winning, culture. We’re starting to see that really play out as it’s been built over the last few years.”
With the Dodgers supplementing their Major League roster with free agents more than ever, being known as a player-friendly franchise would appear to give them a leg up during negotiations.
“That’s probably a better question for the players that are signing, but it seems like that is the case,” Gomes answered when asked if he thinks players talk among themselves about Dodgers as an ideal destination.
“We’re coming off a very successful year of winning the World Series, and now adding talent. Guys are like, ‘I want to be a part of that.’ It’s a helpful component, for sure.”
While the Dodgers have found that their reputation precedes them, they still like to reiterate it to free agents because of the pride they take in their commitment to catering to players.
However, the front office also recognizes how much more impactful the information is when coming from another player.
“It’s obviously something we discuss but us saying it is not worth a whole lot. We’re obviously incredibly biased, but when our players are saying it — because all of these guys are a tight-knit group, big leaguers are always one person away from knowing everybody — so it’s much more word-of-mouth thing,” Gomes said.
“We certainly bring it up as we feel it’s a strength of the organization, but it’s way more impactful of other guys are talking about it.”
Andrew Friedman and Brandon Gomes feel responsibility
The Dodgers have become public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the larger MLB community for their spending the past two winters, but the Dodgers front office feels it has a duty to reward the fanbase by doing everything in its power to build the best roster possible in pursuit of continued World Series titles.
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