Cody Snavely
After back-to-back disappointments in October, the Dodgers are arguably in their biggest offseason since 2019, when the team was in a similar dilemma. However, Dodgers fan’s trust in Andrew Friedman and others in the front office is at an all-time low. But why is that?
They are not being transparent with injuries
Perhaps my biggest gripe with the current Dodgers regime is their ability to hide or lie about a player’s health. This was brought to light again after it was announced that Clayton Kershaw had significant shoulder surgery, putting his 2024 return in doubt. Kershaw, who missed considerable time on the IL this season due to a shoulder issue, insisted that he was, in fact, “healthy,” and the front office and even Dave Roberts shared that statement.
However, any fan with eyes and a brain could see something off due to Kershaw’s decreased velocity, decreased command, and not going deep into games. However, as we now see, Kershaw’s shoulder was a much bigger deal than the team let on and, in my opinion, put the team at an enormous disadvantage heading into October. Why was Kershaw pitching, let alone starting game one of a postseason series?
However, it was also revealed that David Peralta has been dealing with elbow/arm inflammation since July, which explains his large dip in offensive numbers across the board. He had an OPS near .800 in the first half of 2023 but a .550 the rest of the way. After the season ended, Peralta had surgery to repair this problem. Still, the Dodgers insisted that he was healthy not only to play the regular season but the postseason as well.
The Trade Deadline was wasted
The 2023 trade deadline came back to bite the Dodgers, especially come October, as their most significant need was starting pitching, but all they could muster was Lance Lynn and his ERA over six, giving up record numbers of home runs. While they did try and also get Eduardo Rodríguez from the Tigers, who vetoed the trade to LA, they missed out on key arms that helped other clubs, specifically Jordan Montgomery, who was a pivotal arm the Rangers depended on.
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While the team could not have predicted what would have happened with Julio Urias, they did have knowledge of the current health of the rotation, with Kershaw, May, and Gonsolin all missing time with injury. However, a common theme here is that Andrew Friedman would rather not overpay or “lose” trades, but sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.
Same excuse two years in a row
The Dodgers ended back-to-back years in embarrassment, not only losing in the NLDS but losing it both times to an NL West rival. After the Dodgers were swept by the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers, as usual, had their end-of-season press conference, and this time, they had their notes ready from last year. Yet again, the team labeled it an “organizational failure,” but in both cases, they expect no changes to be made to the front office or coaching staff.
While I agree with Friedman that it is not always the right move to change everything, when you have back-to-back years of the same thing happening, maybe it is time to make some adjustments.
Conclusion
I completely understand why a large portion of the fanbase is upset or frustrated with the current management of the Dodgers, but this is the same regime that, since 2015, has created a sustained model of success. This is a colossal offseason for the Dodgers, as all eyes will be on what Andrew Friedman does to help correct the ship. While the answer seems to be Ohtani, I am here to tell you that it will not be enough. For the Dodgers to accomplish their ultimate goal next season, they must fix the glaring holes on their roster.
