Although the Los Angeles Dodgers fell well short of their goal by being eliminated in the National League Division Series, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman pushed back on the idea of wholesale changes being necessary.
For one, Friedman said he anticipated signing a new contract to remain in his role with the Dodgers. He also dismissed the notion of a possible change at manager by publicly voicing support for Dave Roberts.
In terms of the roster, Friedman explained the Dodgers are well positioned to complete trades or be active in free agency. Thus far L.A. has been linked to the likes of Gerrit Cole, Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rendon, and are also said to have interest in re-signing Hyun-Jin Ryu.
On the heels of the Dodgers somewhat curiously being connected to Donaldson, Jon Heyman of MLB Network relayed the club additionally is remaining mindful of Rendon:
Dodgers have Anthony Rendon on their radar. Earlier they’d been connected to Josh Donaldson. Justin Turner has generously offered to change positions if necessary.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 14, 2019
Rendon, a National League MVP finalist, put together an impressive regular season that he then added to en route to the Washington Nationals winning their first World Series in franchise history. Rendon was voted NL Outstanding Player in the Players Choice Awards.
He is expected to sign a contract in excess of $200 million but short of the eight-year, $260 million contract extension Nolan Arenado signed with the Colorado Rockies. One reason for that may be a result of Rendon reportedly being willing to sign a short-term contract in the neighborhood of four or five years.
That figures to fit well with the Dodgers’ philosophy, as Friedman has been reluctant to dole out long-term contracts. Last offseason the Dodgers attempted to entice Bryce Harper with a record-breaking salary in exchange for sacrificing years on the contract.
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