The Los Angeles Dodgers set a franchise record with 111 wins during the regular season and had the most talented team on paper by a wide margin, but were upset by the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series.
It marked an early end to what otherwise was a historic season, which has been a common theme in recent years. Since 2013, the Dodgers have won nine National League West titles and three pennants, but only one World Series championship.
The latest disappointment prompted calls from outside of the organization for significant changes, including with manager Dave Roberts. However, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman indicated Roberts will return next season along with the entire coaching staff.
Meanwhile, team president and CEO Stan Kasten understands frustration from Dodgers fans but doesn’t consider 2022 or recent stretch of early postseason exits in only a negative light, per Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times:
“We have succeeded in too many ways on too many fronts for me to think of this as any kind of failure,” he said, later adding, “Just in the last eight years, five LCSs and three World Series, I don’t think those are bad numbers. … We won one World Series, we lost another one in Game 7, I don’t think those are symbols of a fatally flawed program. I just don’t agree with that.”
Kasten did acknowledge the Dodgers will not be complacent and explore every avenue to improve this offseason:
“I’m sure there are ways that we can get better. … We can’t accept that there’s no way we can get better. … That’s not an acceptable conclusion,” he said. “You can look at everything that happened and you can look at everything we did … you hope the breaks even out over a period of time, but we always assume there are things we can do to get better.”
In what figures to be a busy winter for the Dodgers, the team saw 10 players officially become free agents on Sunday morning, including Clayton Kershaw, Trea Turner and Tyler Anderson.
The club also must decide whether to exercise or decline the club options of four players, as well as tender contracts to the 12 players who are set to go through salary arbitration.
Key 2022 MLB offseason dates for Dodgers
Free agents are permitted to sign with any team beginning on Thursday, November 10, and that is also the day most contract decisions are due.
Then by Friday, Nov. 18, the Dodgers must decide whether or not to offer a contract to arbitration-eligible players. Two days later is the deadline for the free agents who were issued a qualifying offer to accept or decline it.
The annual Winter Meetings will take place in San Diego from Dec. 4-7, with the Rule 5 Draft being held on the final day.
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