Dave Roberts is predicted again, but Dodgers deal with other important offseason issues

Following a ten years of unparalleled normal-time dominance, but all much too acquainted playoff disappointment that ongoing Saturday night time with their elimination in the Nationwide League Division Sequence, the Dodgers obtain by themselves in a acquainted position entering this offseason.

Trying to sustain the success that incorporated profitable a franchise-file 111 online games this 12 months — but construct a crew extra regular arrive Oct, wherever they’ve captured just a person Environment Sequence championship through a extend of 10 consecutive postseason appearances.

A single thing that probably won’t modify is the manager.

Dave Roberts is predicted to return in 2023 for his eighth period as Dodgers supervisor, and first below the new three-calendar year deal extension he signed in advance of this past period, according to a particular person with information of the situation who wasn’t authorized to discuss publicly.

But soon after a disastrous NLDS defeat to the San Diego Padres this previous 7 days, which was sealed when the Dodgers blew a a few-run guide in Game 4 on Saturday evening, there are a lot of other unknowns the club will have to address.

“The target is to get a championship,” 3rd baseman Justin Turner explained in the aftermath of the Dodgers’ elimination Saturday. “To drop shorter of that in any round, it doesn’t subject, it is not a superior experience.”

A few of common themes emerged through the NLDS defeat.

Their strong offense slipped into a postseason drought, reworking from the greatest-scoring device in the main leagues for the duration of the frequent time to an underwhelming, inefficient group that managed just seven operates in three consecutive losses immediately after Game 1.

Their pitching team also failed to maintain its powerful common-period performance, also usually faltering in important conditions versus a Padres team the Dodgers had beaten 14 situations in 19 attempts this 12 months entering the collection.

The Dodgers’ collapse in the seventh inning of Video game 4 on Saturday encapsulated it all.

Their lineup managed just one particular operate just after obtaining the bases loaded with no outs, missing an prospect to even further lengthen a a few-operate lead.

Their bullpen imploded towards the Padres’ opportunistic offense, which scored five occasions in entrance of San Diego’s raucous home group.

And the Dodgers could not get better the rest of the way, struggling a person of the biggest upsets in baseball playoff history and turning into the sport’s to start with 110-win workforce to not even attain its league Championship Collection.

Said pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the longtime experience of the franchise: “It’s just yet another good common time.”

Adopted by another bout of playoff heartbreak.

So how do the Dodgers deal with this? How do they reverse their postseason torment, with the 2020 Planet Collection they received through a pandemic-shortened time nevertheless their only modern Oct reprieve?

Which is what the team’s entrance workplace final decision-makers, from president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman on down, will commence pondering in the coming times.

Roberts seems to be risk-free, despite drawing criticism for various selections in the course of Saturday’s fateful seventh inning.

“We did not execute our goal, and that is the bottom line,” Roberts mentioned immediately after the video game. “Yeah, this a person hurts.”

No supervisor in significant league history has managed additional games than Roberts with a greater profitable proportion than his .632 vocation mark. His 653 overall wins are fifth most in franchise background.

He and the main of his recent team, including pitching mentor Mark Prior and hitting coaches Brant Brown and Robert Van Scoyoc, aided navigate the workforce to its 2020 Globe Collection title much too.

On the other hand, they have now overseen early eliminations in the final two postseasons, with the latter involving a very important lapse of conversation through Saturday’s seventh-inning debacle.

In hopes of providing reliever Alex Vesia an added second to heat up, the Dodgers’ dugout signaled for pitcher Yency Almonte to lob a pickoff to first foundation. The indicator was skipped, even so, with Almonte as an alternative delivering a pitch to the plate, major to the Dodgers making a dangerous mid-at-bat pitching improve.

Moments later on, the Padres took the direct with a hit.

“I really do not know how it acquired missing in translation,” Roberts claimed.

It was not the team’s only difficulty very last week.

Even though Friedman has crafted a sustained regular-year winner with rosters developed all over huge stars, homegrown expertise and unheralded depth additions, his teams continue to display a inclination to press in Oct, particularly at the plate.

“We did it to ourselves,” stated Mookie Betts, the team’s $365-million suitable fielder who had only two hits in the sequence. “They did play nicely, but there were some scenarios where we didn’t execute.”

For all their composed veteran professionalism, the Dodgers also at times seem to lack the self confidence and swagger of other title contenders — this year’s Padres crew, which adopted the goose that landed in the outfield of Dodger Stadium in the course of Match 2 as its unofficial collection mascot, incorporated.

“They had terrific at-bats the entire series and made significant pitches when they experienced to, and they played greater than us,” Kershaw reported. “It’s tricky to acknowledge from time to time, but that is the reality of it. They just defeat us.”

And in the wake of this most current setback, the Dodgers confront an offseason entire of questions.

The club will have to make conclusions on Turner, who has a club possibility for $16 million entering his age-38 season and former NL most worthwhile participant Cody Bellinger, who regardless of struggling all over again this year, culminating in his benching for Online games 3 and 4 of the NLDS, will very likely get a elevate on his $17-million income in arbitration if the Dodgers tender him a agreement.

Shortstop Trea Turner headlines a selection of out-of-deal no cost agents, with pitchers Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and Tommy Kahnle also sure to strike the open market place with out a new deal.

So too will Kershaw, although the 34-yr-aged remaining-hander and probably potential Hall of Famer will very first have to choose irrespective of whether he wishes to go on his occupation.

“Yeah, I think so,” Kershaw mentioned when requested whether he wants to enjoy upcoming period. “We’ll see what comes about. Likely house and currently being about and remaining a whole-time dad modifications your perspective on things. But as of right now, I’d say I’ll perform all over again.”

If Kershaw stays with the Dodgers, he will be portion of a club that ought to continue to be a contender in 2023.

The offense will still be headlined by former MVPs in Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman. Cy Young Award applicant Julio Urías will be the ace of the pitching team. And there is minimal doubt in Friedman’s ability to construct — and Roberts’ capacity to deal with — a winning workforce from April to September.

But for a franchise that now judges itself on October excellence, the Dodgers have to wait an additional 12 months to get their subsequent title opportunity.

“It was tremendous neat to get that lots of online games [in the regular season],” Betts stated. “But it means certainly practically nothing if you reduce in the postseason.”