Andrew Friedman didn’t reference Juan Soto by title.
He did not have to.
As this year’s Aug. 2 trade deadlinedraws around, the Dodgers’ president of baseball functions stated the club has been managing as a result of the common physical exercise of analyzing particular demands, taking inventory of its farm program, and deciding the approaches to plug holes on the roster of a staff vying for a championship.
All those aren’t the only calculations at participate in.
Not in a 12 months a person like Soto, the Washington Nationals’ 23-yr-outdated star outfielder, could be on the move.
“It’s additional about assessing the particular want, and also the top rated-finish sort players that are not essentially a will need, but really do not grow to be out there all that often,” Friedman stated through an job interview Saturday, leaning against the railing of the Dodgers’ dwelling dugout.
“When they do, you usually see that method through. That’s sort of our thoughts set heading into these final few months.”
The Dodgers unquestionably don’t require Soto.
They are currently main the Nationwide League with a 63-30 document.
They entered enjoy Sunday leading baseball in team OPS (.776) and ranked next in runs per activity (5.16).
According to Fangraphs, they are already a digital lock for the postseason (100% laptop or computer projection odds), are nearly particular to earn their division (97.4% odds), and have the second-ideal chance of profitable the Planet Collection (15.9% odds).
If there’s any region that appears most in will need of reinforcements, it’s possibly the pitching staff members, which has overcome a wave of injuries but could be inclined to issues until finally it’s back again at comprehensive strength.
“We’re going to be including some actually proficient pitchers back again in the combine,” Friedman mentioned, referencing the predicted returns of Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Blake Treinen and other vital pitchers by season’s conclude.
“So the question is, worst scenario, what if X number of them return, and where by do we really feel in which we have that coverage to put with each other a championship-caliber pitching personnel in October? Obviously, people are the queries we’re going to be wrestling with the following few weeks.”
The sudden availability of a generational talent such as Soto, having said that, has additional a wrinkle to this year’s deliberations.
Nevertheless Nationals typical supervisor Mike Rizzo declared very last month his club would not be trading Soto, the player’s latest rejection of a described $440-million deal extension has altered the circumstance.
Now, the two-time All-Star and 2020 NL batting winner is not only likely available, but already building weighty fascination from numerous clubs.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman watches group drills at their spring teaching facility in Glendale, Ariz, in February 2018.
(Carlos Osorio / Linked Press)
The Dodgers, with their seemingly infinite financial means, deep pool of prospective clients and effectively-proven observe document of swinging major trades, have regularly been rumored as aspect of the blend.
When questioned how considerably the deadline current market has changed in recent times, due to the fact information of Soto’s extension rejection first surfaced, Friedman smirked.
“Any time — and definitely not precisely associated to him — but any time star-caliber players grow to be available, they’re complicated to accessibility,” Friedman said. “So each time they do, you generally have conversations. But certainly we have traded absent a whole lot of genuinely gifted youthful players in excess of the past 5 decades. It’s the omnipresent obstacle of balancing the now compared to the long run.”
During Friedman’s eight-year tenure in Los Angeles, the Dodgers have walked that tightrope properly.
Immediately after trades for Yu Darvish in 2017, Manny Machado in 2018, Mookie Betts in 2020, and Trea Turner and Max Scherzer previous year, the Dodgers have even now funneled talent to the major leagues — Tony Gonsolin and Gavin Lux have been this year’s homegrown results tales — and maintained a developmental pipeline, their farm procedure presently ranked fifth in the majors by MLB Pipeline.
This 12 months, they’ve created a first-put staff that is total of depth — bolstered by offseason signings massive and smaller, such as Freddie Freeman and Tyler Anderson — and have raised the club’s stage of engage in as the time has gone on, opening up a double-digit sport guide in the NL West.
“We have a specific camaraderie amongst our group that we’re delicate to as we are hunting to perhaps incorporate,” Friedman explained. “We’re definitely aware of how guys will in good shape in.”
With just additional than a week to go right up until the deadline, they’ll have to start producing some final decisions.
Go all-in for Soto?
Attempt and nab a beginning pitcher these types of as All-Star Luis Castillo of the Cincinnati Reds?
Continue to be somewhat peaceful and safeguard the most useful components of the farm process?
Or examine one more route in pursuit of a championship?
“That’s just the difficult portion of what we do,” Friedman explained. “We have to continuously have our finger on the pulse of not just now, but what the implications are in the future and how that ties into our pipeline of gamers coming, our fiscal commitments and accomplishing everything we can to sustain this high amount for as far as we can see out.”
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