LOS ANGELES – The same night the Los Angeles Dodgers were swept out of the NLCS by the Milwaukee Brewers, owner Mark Walter asked president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes about their thoughts for the offseason.
Despite the ongoing federal investigations into Guggeinheim's majority partner that has led to the sale of several of Walter's pro sports franchises such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Chelsea FC, Friedman said the directive he's gotten has been "business as usual." If there are plans for a sale, he hasn't heard anything about it. He's also gotten no indication that the Dodgers will have any less financial resources than normal.
"So much of his focus was, 'How do we put ourselves in the best position
to win in '27?'" Friedman said during his exit interview at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Prepping for World Series run in 2027
How exactly they'll be able to do that, however, is another unknown in an offseason full of uncertainty for the back-to-back World Series champions. There is, after all, a pending lockout that feels inevitable as MLB owners and the players union don't appear to be getting any closer to agreeing to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.
If the owners are successful in their steadfast push to implement a salary cap, that would have a substantial effect on how the Dodgers could add to a roster that has eight pending free agents. For now, though, Friedman's approach isn't changing until the current CBA expires in December.
"We're just hard at work trying to figure out the best way to put together our roster," he said. "Those are things that we're not involved in and depending on how things play out, we'll adjust to whatever the rules are."
What are Dodgers' plans for to-be free agent Tarik Skubal?
The biggest name set to hit free agency is starting pitcher Tarik Skubal, who looked like a luxury when the Dodgers traded for him at the deadline but eventually became a much-needed steady presence in the rotation. The back-to-back AL Cy Young winner is projected to become one of the highest-paid pitchers of all time once he hits the open market. That might be a price even the Dodgers might not be willing to reach.
Friedman was noncommittal about bringing Skubal back, applauding the impact he had on the mound and in the clubhouse after moving cities midseason but also "wishing him nothing but the best" moving forward. It's worth noting that Friedman does expect to get at least one pitcher back in 2027: Shohei Ohtani, who will not need surgery on his knee or bicep injuries and could possibly be ready to go by spring.
Dodgers must deal with aging roster
As for other areas of the roster, Friedman did address the dinosaur in the room.
The Dodgers had the oldest lineup in the big leagues this season at an average age of 30.9 years old, according to Baseball Reference. Almost all of their core players are on the other side of 30. 2024 World Series MVP Freddie Freeman is 36 and entering the final year of the six-year $162 million deal he signed with LA in 2022. Mookie Betts (33) and Ohtani (32) are under contract for much longer, but they're not getting any younger, either. In fact, the only regular fixtures in LA's lineup under 30 years old this season were Kyle Tucker (29) and Andy Pages (25).
That might have been a factor in why the Dodgers have fallen off offensively in the second half of the season each of the last two years, to which Friedman admitted that he might have to be more proactive with getting guys rest once they get into the dog days.
Is help on the way from Dodgers' farm system?
But age isn't too much of a concern for Friedman, who pointed to the Dodgers' No. 1-ranked farm system according to MLB Pipeline. For him, the key is supplementing his veteran core with young guys and transitioning them gradually into more responsibility.
Therein lies another question: Where does Josue De Paula fit on this team next year?
The 21-year-old top prospect made such an impression in two weeks in September that he cracked the NLDS and NLCS rosters as a lefty bat off the bench. His bat is clearly ready for the major leagues, and his presence seems to be a spark for the Dodgers veteran offense. Still, Friedman and Gomes made it clear that he needs to take a leap forward as an outfielder.
"We've all seen what he's capable of in the box, which is incredibly exciting," Gomes said. "With that being said, we already have a very talented core group already here. So, it's finding those opportunities but also making sure that throughout this offseason and coming into spring that he continues to improve and gets to that bar and gets to be an above average defender."
Including De Paula, the Dodgers carry six prospects who are ranked in MLB Pipeline's Top 100: outfielders De Paula (No. 4), Eduardo Quintero (No. 15), Mike Sirota (No. 17), shortstop Emil Morales (No. 22), right-handed pitcher Christian Zazueta (No. 33) and outfielder Charles Davalan (No. 79).
There's some sorting around the front office will have to do, but this wave of young talent is what keeps Friedman hopeful that the Dodgers will be able to avoid "falling off a cliff" the way most veteran teams eventually do.
"That is why we have poured so much energy and focus into our farm system," he said. "... We couldn't feel more bullish on the position player core group, from A ball through Triple-A that are coming, and obviously we've traded away a lot of really talented players also.
"... We feel really good about our future outlook."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What’s next for Dodgers? Andrew Friedman addresses Skubal, De Paula, roster
