Dane Pearson
It was a disappointing 2014 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the team improved upon it’s previous regular season record, from 92 wins to 94, and won the National League West for a 2nd year in a row, this team failed to meet the ultimate expectations of a World Series. Any team with the highest payroll is expected to get to the World Series and win it. The Dodgers could not get past the first round of the playoffs, again losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, the same team that knocked the Dodgers out of the NLCS in 2013. In fact, you could say the 2014 Dodgers season was a regression, losing in the first round of the playoffs, compared to the NLCS from a year before.
Though, there are some bright spots moving forward for the Dodgers, none more so than new President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, who was introduced in a press conference Friday morning. Friedman, who spent the past 8 years as GM of the Tampa Bay Rays, is arguably one of the smartest minds in baseball. With an emphasis on player development, building the cash-strapped Tampa Bay Rays through the farm system into a contending franchise, his baseball intellect is sure to make an impact on the Dodgers franchise.
A big question surrounding the Dodgers moving forward is how they handle the 2014 offseason. Friedman is likely to focus more on the Dodgers’ player development through building up the farm system and spending less on free agents. However, this Dodgers squad as currently constructed is a contending team, so should the Dodgers spend now on one or two pieces to guarantee postseason success next year and the coming years? Should Hanley Ramirez get a big contract to be the Dodgers Short Stop for the next several years? When healthy, Ramirez is one of the best hitters in the Dodgers lineup, though there are looming questions regarding his defense and lackluster effort at times. Should the Dodgers’ front office pursue power bullpen arms like Andrew Miller or David Robertson? The bullpen was the biggest weakness for the 2014 Dodgers and ultimately led to the team being ousted in the playoffs. These are the big questions for Andrew Friedman and the front office of the Dodgers. Tune in the coming weeks as the Dodgers offseason plans are broken down more thoroughly. Our first offseason breakdown will be what should the Dodgers do about the Short Stop position.
