Dodgers not likely to make big variations. Will Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw return?

Andrew Friedman identified as it the most disappointing elimination in his eight a long time as the Dodgers’ leading entrance office environment govt, an “organizational failure” that the workforce hadn’t been anticipating just after a franchise-file 111-get season.

But, 3 days eradicated from the Dodgers’ beautiful Countrywide League Division Collection loss to the San Diego Padres, the club’s president of baseball functions didn’t audio as although massive improvements have been on the horizon.

In an conclude-of-year news conference at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, Friedman confirmed that manager Dave Roberts will return future time.

“One hundred %,” he said.

The relaxation of the coaching workers possible will, as very well.

“I never foresee [any changes] proper now,” he said.

Friedman claimed the crew nonetheless was working by roster choices, which includes regardless of whether to deliver back 3rd baseman Justin Turner and outfielder Cody Bellinger, but stopped small of promising any considerable overhaul.

So, what will be the fallout from the Dodgers’ early postseason exit, and why just did he assume the staff faltered in a four-recreation defeat to the Padres that rated among the the major postseason upsets in MLB background?

Friedman did not have responses to those people concerns however.

“You can type of go via all of it, and we will, and shell out time on it,” he stated. “Just trying to locate any levers or nearly anything we can do to support put us in a superior situation up coming yr.”

As he looked back again at the collection, Friedman pinpointed the Dodgers’ concerns with runners in scoring position — they strike just .147 and stranded 32 males on foundation — as the major culprit.

“In the regular season, we led baseball in every statistical class with runners in scoring posture. In the sequence, we had been not fantastic,” he reported. “The issue is, is it baseball? Or are there factors we can do to strengthen upon that?”

He defended the Dodgers’ pitching choices in the course of a fateful seventh inning in Recreation 4 — when their endeavor to preserve their ideal reliever, Evan Phillips, for a likely ninth-inning save backfired with a blown 3-run guide.

“You can say, ‘Hey, it would have been excellent if you experienced completed a thing different’ with the reward of hindsight,” he claimed. “It’s a hard issue when in that moment you could passionately argue both of those sides. And so lots of selections don’t have a clear appropriate or incorrect reply right up until soon after it performs out.”

Friedman also did not imagine the criticism directed Roberts’ approaches in the wake of yet another Oct defeat “has been truthful,” sharply reiterating the manager has full autonomy over in-recreation selections.

“Is that actually a narrative?” Friedman stated. “After every single solitary postseason I’ve answered that dilemma. So I do not truly feel like it is a narrative … If it ever adjustments, I’ll permit people today know.”

Questioned if the Dodgers could gain from a new voice leading the group, Friedman turned down the recommendation.

“I do not come to feel like that is what we have to have,” Friedman mentioned. “If we felt that a distinct voice was heading to enable us dollars in on all those predicaments with runners in scoring placement — yeah, then possibly we would.

“There are individuals items that transpire in the study course of a activity that I think is crucial to tease out — what aspect of it is baseball? What part of it is leaders?” he extra. “I really feel like Dave and his coaching workers did an outstanding job in the course of the normal time to guide this team to 111 wins. And I really do not truly feel like it’s a swap that was then turned off, or the gamers needed a distinctive voice in individuals game titles. Which is my private perception.”

Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts, heart, fulfills with gamers on the mound for the duration of the fourth inning in Recreation 3 of the NLDS from the San Diego Padres on Oct. 14 in San Diego.

(Jae C. Hong / Involved Press)

Friedman and normal supervisor Brandon Gomes, who also spoke all through Tuesday’s news meeting, weren’t prepared to talk about several specifics about this upcoming offseason. Gomes was non-committal about Bellinger’s foreseeable future.

Irrespective of putting up below-league-ordinary quantities for a second consecutive year — and staying benched for Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS — the former NL most worthwhile participant possible will make far more than $17 million in arbitration up coming season if the Dodgers tender him a contract. If they really don't, they would be perhaps sacrificing Bellinger’s ultimate period of workforce handle.

“We nevertheless imagine there is upside,” Gomes claimed. “So those are conversations we’re going to have shifting ahead as we search into what 2023 appears to be like.”

Friedman declined to say whether or not the workforce will select up Turner’s $16-million club selection for future 12 months. He complimented the veteran for becoming “a large component of our success” but included that “we’re gonna consider time to meet as a team and truly get into those factors.”

The foreseeable future of pending free agent Clayton Kershaw is also unclear. The pitcher could be extended a qualifying supply, anything the Dodgers did not do forward of his cost-free company final 12 months as a courtesy to give him time to contemplate his career decisions.

Friedman was not guaranteed how the team would progress this offseason, expressing only that his “strong hope is that Clayton Kershaw is pitching below following calendar year.”

The Dodgers will have other issues to deal with around the winter season.

Will they try to re-indication shortstop Trea Turner, who is expected to be a single of the most coveted (and highly-priced) free of charge agents on the current market? Will they convey back absolutely free-agent pitchers this kind of as Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and Tommy Kahnle? Will their payroll go on to soar previous MLB’s luxurious tax thresholds as one of the maximum in the sport — and will the final result of pitcher Trevor Bauer’s suspension enchantment affect their fiscal overall flexibility?

Friedman stated only that he expects the possession group to “do almost everything they can from their standpoint to put us in placement to go out and get a championship.”

“I don’t anticipate that shifting,” he added.

For the rest of their offseason unknowns, only time will inform. Just after their unexpected elimination, the Dodgers quickly have loads of it.