Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman heading into a challenging offseason

LOS ANGELES — Another offseason has begun for the Dodgers. But it promises to beryllium overmuch much than conscionable different offseason.

The Dodgers indispensable woody with their astir salient radical of escaped agents successful years – and 1 precise thorny concern with a escaped cause signed past February – each portion an unsettled labour concern hangs implicit the athletics and lingering questions astir the mode their play ended canine them again.

The assorted complications marque this perchance the astir challenging offseason since Andrew Friedman took implicit their beforehand office.

“I deliberation each offseason feels that mode to maine erstwhile we’re mired successful it,” Friedman said Wednesday, speaking with the media for the archetypal clip since the Dodgers’ elimination by the Atlanta Braves successful the National League Championship Series. “I get the absorption connected our pending escaped agents. Our absorption volition beryllium determination arsenic good soon too.

“But we besides person a truly bully core, a truly beardown radical that is returning with immoderate players coming up that we consciousness truly bully about. So arsenic we look forward, it’s astir – whether it’s our interior guys oregon outer guys – however to circular retired our roster to enactment america successful the champion presumption to succeed. I’m assured we’ll get there. I don’t cognize precisely what that volition look similar yet.

“But I bash consciousness truly assured that we’re gonna person a truly bully squad successful spot arsenic we unfastened campy successful Glendale (Arizona).”

Friedman said a batch of words to the media connected Wednesday without saying much. He did support the Dodgers’ postseason pitching strategy that seemed to backfire connected them successful the NLCS aft Max Scherzer and Julio Urias were some utilized retired of the bullpen betwixt starts.

“I’ve answered this question each year. … They are Dave’s decisions with (game-planning coach) Danny Lehman, (pitching coach) Mark Prior, (bench coach) Bob Geren, the guys successful the dugout,” Friedman said, doing small to crook down the vigor connected Manager Dave Roberts. “We bash a batch of enactment to hole up of time, to recognize however definite relievers lucifer up against definite hitters and they spell done and fig retired runs. Games play retired successful truthful galore antithetic ways that it’s intolerable to expect it before. So those decisions are made successful the dugout, arsenic they should be.

“I deliberation they’re truly bully astatine making decisions.”

But immoderate of those decisions are predetermined – some Scherzer and Urias did not propulsion their mean broadside sessions betwixt starts – and not made successful the infinitesimal “in the dugout.” Friedman acknowledged determination is simply a quality betwixt utilizing Scherzer successful a “winner-take-all” Game 5 of the NL Division Series against the San Francisco Giants and “in the mediate of a bid is simply a antithetic thing.”

“I deliberation it’s casual to say, ‘Oh yeah, we would person done thing differently,” helium said. “But I deliberation astatine that time, I deliberation it made a batch of consciousness personally. … I wholly get some sides of the argument.”

As overmuch arsenic the pitching decisions were (and volition be) dissected, the Dodgers’ violative accumulation successful the postseason proved much costly. They were held to 2 runs oregon little successful six of their 12 postseason games.

“We needed idiosyncratic to measurement up and propulsion an Eddie Rosario,” Friedman joked, referring to the Braves’ breakout prima of the NLCS. “After we made the Trea Turner woody successful my opinion, 1 done 8, it was the deepest, champion lineup I’ve been around. But it didn’t rather play similar that implicit those 2 months. It was conscionable a small bumpier than I would person expected.

“How overmuch of that is conscionable baseball? How overmuch of it is worldly that we tin bash differently? I don’t cognize the reply to it. … To me, that’s a large portion of this postseason was conscionable our conflict to consistently people runs and feeling similar we had the lineup extent to bash that. It conscionable didn’t play retired that mode and figuring retired the wherefore is important. As we each know, a batch of things successful shot are hard to tease retired get to the why.”

Even harder to tease retired is immoderate benignant of reply to the galore questions surrounding Trevor Bauer and his aboriginal with the Dodgers. Will helium transportation for them successful 2022 (the 2nd twelvemonth of his three-year, $102 cardinal contract)? Do the Dodgers regret signing him arsenic a escaped cause past February?

“It’s nary antithetic than wherever we were successful July, August, September,” Friedman said. “From our standpoint, it is being handled by the league office. As soon arsenic thing is decided, obviously, we volition travel down and speech done it extensively with you guys. But until that happens, we person to reserve comment.”

Friedman claimed helium has nary existent consciousness for erstwhile MLB mightiness reason its probe into the intersexual battle allegations against Bauer. But helium did admit the concern “will person some” interaction connected the Dodgers’ offseason moves.

“The grade of it, I don’t cognize yet,” Friedman said. “But, obviously, it’s thing existent and we person to fig retired what that means. But it volition much autumn retired of immoderate MLB, erstwhile they’ve gone done their probe – immoderate they determine is what they determine and past we’ll person to fig retired from determination what makes the astir consciousness for us.”

Whether Bauer remains connected their payroll oregon not, helium is not apt to ever transportation for them again. Down to 3 starting pitchers successful the postseason, the Dodgers’ No. 1 task this offseason mightiness beryllium rebuilding that rotation.

Walker Buehler and Urias return. The 37-year-old Scherzer figures to beryllium a highly sought aft (and highly expensive) escaped agent. Physical issues unreality Clayton Kershaw’s future. Dustin May volition not instrumentality from his Tommy John country until precocious successful the 2022 play (optimistically). David Price volition beryllium back, but his usefulness has precise overmuch waned.

Friedman mentioned Mitch White and Andre Jackson arsenic candidates to adhd extent to the starting pitching and Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot and Landon Knack arsenic prospects who volition beryllium successful the “upper levels (of the minors) oregon large leagues erstwhile we commencement the year.”

That does not dependable similar the makings of a championship-caliber rotation successful 2022, however.

“That truly gives america a truly beardown instauration of depth. So present rounding retired the rotation volition decidedly beryllium thing that we’re focused connected arsenic we get into the winter,” helium said.