Recapping the Dodgers End of the Season Press Conference

The Dodgers held their end of the season press conference today and there were several key topics brought up to Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi.

Earlier today the Dodgers held their end of the season press conference.  Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi talked about several key topics that surround the Dodgers as they enter the 2018 offseason.  Friedman and Zaidi both downplayed rumors that the Giants are interested in Farhan.

Clayton Kershaw

The Dodgers talks with Clayton Kershaw have been “pleasant” and “ongoing” according to Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi.  They said the deadline was pushed back to allow them to have more time to come to a decision with the sudden end to the season and rapid turnaround.

Dave Roberts

Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi both maintained that have the utmost confidence in Dave Roberts and the decisions that he makes.  They talked about the process that goes into in-game decisions and that Roberts talks to not only the front office but the coaching staff as well.

Friedman does not anticipate there being any snags in a potential extension with Dave Roberts and said that both sides remain interested in a long-term working relationship.  There is also no deadline on when they must come to a new agreement with Dave.

Platoon Lineups

Zaidi and Friedman were also questioned about the Dodgers’ lineup strategy that saw them sit their top four power hitters in the World Series.  Both defended their strategy by saying that the players who played instead were more than regular bench players.

They characterized the offense as a bunch of players struggling at the wrong time in the NLCS and World Series.  They noted that statistics supported their lineup decisions.  Steve Pearce the World Series MVP was also mentioned as the Red Sox used Pearce in a platoon with Mitch Moreland at first base.

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Manny Machado

The front office duo was asked to reflect on what they thought about Manny Machado.  Friedman said that Machado was a lot better than they expected defensively at shortstop and credited Chris Woodward for the work he did with Machado.  Friedman also admitted that Manny’s lack of hustle was not a good look from the press box.

Dave Roberts had talked to Machado several times about hustling according to Friedman and they said the felt Machado put in the work every day.  They explained the difference between not caring to hustle and just not hustling and how Manny Machado cares.  They did not mention any possible attempt to re-sign Machado.

Free Agency Strategy

Andrew Friedman talked about how last season the Dodgers wanted to bring everyone back because of how well the team complemented each other and battled together.  There will probably be a little more roster turnover this offseason according to Friedman.  He also mentioned that the entire coaching staff should be back.

The front office duo was questioned about potential bullpen upgrades this winter.  Friedman said that they do anticipate seeking upgrades and getting more consistency out of the bullpen.  The poor track record for free agent relievers was brought up which once again indicates that the front office would prefer to trade for relievers over signing them to big deals.