Andrew Friedman is new Dodgers President of Baseball Ops
- Thread starter soxhop411
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The Dodgers had all the pieces they needed, they were simply mismanaged. The Dodgers' system may or may not be sustainable, but they had plenty of talent to win that series. Greinke, Kershaw and Ryu? With Jansen as closer? Every offensive position besides catcher was above average. The team was loaded, and then Puig sat the final game of the season and Kershaw was left in too long.
This is how I see it too.kieckeredinthehead said:
A relief ace could quite possibly have made the difference. And two of them like KC have certainly would have, but even with a massive budget you can't have everything. It came down to bad management and poor performance from their key players at exactly the wrong time.
Kenley Jansen: 1 IP in 4 games.
Dan Haren: 0 IP in 4 games.
It doesn't matter if you have good (or hot) pitchers available if you don't use them.
Friedman's head would explode if he had to work with Mattingly. I bet Maddon or Davey Martinez are not far behind if he comes.
Dan Haren: 0 IP in 4 games.
It doesn't matter if you have good (or hot) pitchers available if you don't use them.
Friedman's head would explode if he had to work with Mattingly. I bet Maddon or Davey Martinez are not far behind if he comes.
"The Dodgers payroll is expected to drop into the $185-190-million range next season"
There is no way this is possible unless they can get someone to take a big deal off their hands like the Punto deal in reverse, they are already at $181M for 14 players before even any arb cases.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tBbMgiEHXYczpjt0I7dajQQ&output=html
There is no way this is possible unless they can get someone to take a big deal off their hands like the Punto deal in reverse, they are already at $181M for 14 players before even any arb cases.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tBbMgiEHXYczpjt0I7dajQQ&output=html
The Punto deal started with ownership. Hard to know where they handed it off to the GM and what his expectations were with the teams spending going forward, but it seems weird to blame Ned for how he spent the money unless it was his idea and he had a cap number to work with.
If the Dodgers are going to cut back spending this is great news for the Red Sox. A few years ago it seemed like the Dodgers wouldn't be outbid on any FA they wanted. If they continued to operate that way and the Yankees kick up spending it would be a lot higher to use our future space.
If the Dodgers are going to cut back spending this is great news for the Red Sox. A few years ago it seemed like the Dodgers wouldn't be outbid on any FA they wanted. If they continued to operate that way and the Yankees kick up spending it would be a lot higher to use our future space.
soxhop411 said:
I'm not sure I really buy this idea that just because somebody was great in a small market, he'll therefore be great in a large market. The requirements and pressures in LA are so different than they are in Tampa that I'm not sure how great a choice that would be (both for the dodgers and Friedman). Now, smart people adapt, and Friedman, by most accounts, obviously is that. Still.
It may make more sense to look for somebody who's used to dilapidating money and dealing with a demanding owner, etc....errr..Cashman?
The payroll number may be a right but the rationale is demonstrably wrong. Time Warner Cable is on the hook for losses related to the regional sports network. The Dodgers money is guaranteed, even if there are NO subscribers.jon abbey said:
jon abbey said:
If nothing else, this suggests that they won't be big players in free agency. That's bad news for Lester, Shields, et al., particularly if the MFY (by some miracle) decide that they can't spend more on pitching with CC and Tanaka already soaking up so much cash and Slappy coming back.
Yeah, I'm not sure I buy that. This is (almost) the equivalent of changing a business model after two years. First they spend like drunken sailors, then they want to become frugal? Their model, it seems to me is based on stars, entertainment, and getting to the World Series. The whole cable mess has been driven by the fact that they're arguing that their content is unique; I'm not sure a sudden emphasis on the farm system quite fits there. They have too much money locked into unproductive players to just now stop spending - like the Yankees found out. I'll believe it when I see it.
Their loss in that series would be a terrible reason to terminate him. Certainly their performance over 162 games is far more indicative of his competency than a 5 game series where the best pitcher in baseball lost 2 games(manager decisions aside).
Carmen Fanzone said:
Yeah, that article has a heavy dose of ridiculousness sprinkled throughout ...
Unless TWC goes belly up or there is some sort of hidden clause that reduces payments to the Dodgers based on TWC's inability to get carriage from other providers, the 25 year contract is a massive financial boon to the team. Given this, there is literally no connection between TWC's troubles and a desire to reduce payroll for the Dodgers.
It sounds like the Dodgers are through with Colletti and Plaschke is talking through his ass about the reasons why.
You guys realize Bill Plaschke is a known idiot, right?
I don't follow the Dodgers closely enough to know if he's a mouthpiece for ownership, such that we should give this article credence notwithstanding this idiocy (as we would if CHB wrote something like this about the Sox, due to his relationship with LL).
I don't follow the Dodgers closely enough to know if he's a mouthpiece for ownership, such that we should give this article credence notwithstanding this idiocy (as we would if CHB wrote something like this about the Sox, due to his relationship with LL).
It would almost be worth trading for Crawford if we could have his reaction to the news of his being traded back to Boston videotaped and widely distributed.ehaz said:
“@TBTimes_Rays: BREAKING: Andrew Friedman is leaving #Rays for #Dodgers. Matt Silverman will take over Rays baseball operations.”
Can a mod change the title for me? I'm on my phone
https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/522081997934825473
https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/522081997934825473
link to tweet
Can a mod change the title for me? I'm on my phone
https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/522081997934825473
https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/522081997934825473
link to tweet
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal 56s57 seconds ago
BREAKING: #Rays’ Friedman going to #Dodgers. Colletti remaining as senior advisor. Announcement imminent.
BREAKING: #Rays’ Friedman going to #Dodgers. Colletti remaining as senior advisor. Announcement imminent.
Per Rosenthal and others.
Friedman cuts bait at the right time. His string of poor drafts and a barren farm system leaves a bleak future for a team with no resources.
Friedman cuts bait at the right time. His string of poor drafts and a barren farm system leaves a bleak future for a team with no resources.
soxhop411 said:
Just a trick to get him out of his contract in Tampa, so it's technically a promotion, rather than a lateral move.
I've got to say, it'll be fascinating to see what he does with the money and how he deals with the lack of patience that comes with it. Do the dodgers, with that crazy payroll, really have the patience it takes to build a top farm system?
That's going to be one bizarre front office structure, with Colletti sticking around too. At least in Chicago, Theo and Jed and already worked together for years. I wonder how difficult that will be for all of them.soxhop411 said:
Glad to see Friedman gone. The next man up in TB may very well be just as successful (my gut says no, especially given their present situation), but that is an incredibly tough place to win baseball games and Friedman somehow managed to compete with the Red Sox and Yankees year in and year out for 6 years.
Snoop Soxy Dogg said:
My guess is that LAD ownership views the crazy payroll as a temporary measure. They handed out a raft of big contracts, they rebuilt the brand, and they reeled in a gargantuan TV deal; now, they want to build a more sensible business model. That's where Friedman comes in. If he does his job, in five years the Dodgers will look like a well-run version of the other non-MFY big-market teams.
I'm not surprised to see Friedman go. He's been hotly pursued for years and the Dodgers are a plum opportunity. Will be interesting to see how the rest of LAD staff shakes out. Colletti is supposedly staying on as an adviser to Kasten, which sounds like he's being gracefully shown the door. Some genius around here predicted Maddon ending up in Dodger Blue only a few days ago. I can't see Mattingly lasting long with Friedman. Maddon could be had via trade right now, and there's been rumblings of that possibility in Tampa for a couple of months. He's a free agent after next season if ownership doesn't let Friedman shoot Mattingly yet. Davey Martinez would likely take over in Tampa if Maddon goes, but also would not be surprised to see him be the guy to follow Friedman to LA.
Couple of other things:
Friedman worked in TB without a contract. That's Sternberg's policy for all the execs.
Matt Silverman is going to take over day to day duties for Friedman in TB. He's currently the team president. Friedman reported to him. One of Silverman's deputies will take over business operations. Sternberg/Silverman/Friedman were the brain trust, so continuity will be maintained.
From a purely selfish standpoint (that I'm sure nobody cares about), since the Dodgers are my NL/backup rooting interest, I'm happy to see Friedman go there if he has to go. If there is to be a Rays spinoff, might as well be one with lots of dough to see if the philosophy translates into that environment. Godspeed Andrew.
Couple of other things:
Friedman worked in TB without a contract. That's Sternberg's policy for all the execs.
Matt Silverman is going to take over day to day duties for Friedman in TB. He's currently the team president. Friedman reported to him. One of Silverman's deputies will take over business operations. Sternberg/Silverman/Friedman were the brain trust, so continuity will be maintained.
From a purely selfish standpoint (that I'm sure nobody cares about), since the Dodgers are my NL/backup rooting interest, I'm happy to see Friedman go there if he has to go. If there is to be a Rays spinoff, might as well be one with lots of dough to see if the philosophy translates into that environment. Godspeed Andrew.
This is completely right. Plus he gets to be ballwashed by the media for taking his "small market approach" to LA given the payroll issues.mloyko54 said:
I think the odds of this happening are quite high, actually.rembrat said:
Yeah, if he only has one more year under contract and clearly intends to go to the Dodgers anyway, the Rays would be foolish to try to force Maddon to stay with the Rays for another season. The chance of getting a prospect out of the deal only makes it more obvious.
E5 Yaz said:
I thought we established that was incorrect, and that the Dodgers were getting their money irrespective of whatever problems TWC is having on their end. ICBW, though.
According to this site, the Dodgers have $196mm committed to 15 players for next season, and a shocking $173mm committed to 10 players in 2017. I can't imagine ownership approved these commitments if they weren't prepared to have a $200mm+ payroll for at least a few more years.
If Silverman is more like Al Harazin at the GM side of things, I wonder what the effects will be off-field. There's already chatter about the Rays bailing Tampa Bay (actually St. Pete); if they're pulling 5,000 people for games and the TV ratings fall through the floor, which is pretty likely considering how tepid the market was when they were good, that might kill any hopes of a stadium, which will mean they are gone when the lease ends.
VORP Speed said:
Curious to see how this unfolds. When a successful small-market GM moves to a large market, there tend to be great expectations that he's going apply the same successful philosophies, but that the benefit will be amplified by the larger payroll. As we see in some cases, though— Omar Minaya in New York comes to mind first and foremost— the GM's sense of judgement often seems to fly out the window when they hit the larger market. I guess negotiating the expectations that come with a big-market job are (a) harder than we think and (b) not for everyone. I suspect that there are certain guys who are just constitutionally better suited for the challenges of a small market team.
Tropicana Field lease currently runs through 2027.Spacemans Bong said:
TV ratings may yet plummet but they have been very good lately. http://www.foxsports.com/florida/story/rays-broadcasts-dominate-summer-tv-ratings-in-tampa-bay-073014
Maddon lives in SoCal? Yet another hint that he is actually that dude from storage wars.soxhop411 said:
maufman said:
We did establish this. Unless the Dodgers allowed TWC to insert a clause where their payments went down if they (TWC) failed to reach a certain HH penetration, there is no risk in that deal from the Dodgers perspective.
And let me say this - if the Dodgers did allow TWC to pass along some of the risk in that rights deal, they are the dumbest organization in the history of sports. Like "Ruben Amaro Jr. thinks they're morons" dumb.
Buster_ESPN Buster Olney
LAD and TB should cut a deal for Joe Maddon right now, and move forward. No sense in having that situation hang over Mattingly in 2015.
LAD and TB should cut a deal for Joe Maddon right now, and move forward. No sense in having that situation hang over Mattingly in 2015.
soxhop411 said:
Not sure how much sense that tweet makes. Friedman will hire GM, but "he" (who? the GM? Friedman?) will act as assistant GM? This is pretty transparent as a Theo-to-Cubs situation.
Question is, if you're an up and coming GM, do you want to be an assistant GM to Friedman, or do you want to stay where you already are? I think the only reason that worked with Theo/Hoyer is that they were already best buddies. Unless of course, Friedman is already targeting somebody in particular..
I've heard over and over that they were stuck in the Trop but another 13 years? Who in god's name signs a deal like that? At some point you have to figure somebody finds a way to get out of that lease.Comeback Kid said:
Maybe it can be negotiated by the same guy who helped Friedman (and is about to help Maddon) leave.
Van Everyman said:
The slush fund that Selig has built up from collecting luxury tax from the Yankees will probably buy out the lease whenever the Rays actually are ready to move. It will be justified as a move "for the health of MLB in general" to be out of that shit market.