Dodgers’ pair of Baseball America awards prove they’re model franchise

The Los Angeles Dodgers are MLB’s greatest franchise, top to bottom, per Baseball America.

Let me be quite clear: If by now you still hate the Dodgers, it is simply because, as the data bears out, you ain’t the Dodgers.

After nearly a decade of doing things right at every level, from big-budget moves to minor-league fortifying, Los Angeles finally got everything to break their way in October, capturing a ring for the first time in 32 years.

And when you’re the champions and you’re winning from the top down, people start to notice.

Baseball America recognized the Dodgers’ superiority in a whole new way on Monday, giving the organization dual honors. Andrew Friedman got named the Executive of the Year for his bombshell offseason moves and farm system manicuring, and the Dodgers got recognized as the Organization of the Year, which takes everything into account about a team’s present and future outlook.

So, yes, the Dodgers will be outright stacked for at least another decade — and likely much longer, presuming the same braintrust remains in place.

Friedman’s genius was encapsulated by the Mookie Betts move that pushed LA over the edge and defined the championship season. Presented with the chance to facilitate an escape from Boston that, well, wasn’t really warranted, he used his ample budget to coax David Price out of Beantown, too, conditioning the Sox to accept. All it cost to add an annual MVP candidate was Alex Verdugo, a version of Betts Lite, and top prospect Jeter Downs, who was only included after the Sox sobbed to the media that they were being treated unfairly. So it goes.

And, as for the organization’s top-to-bottom gold star, it’s worth noting that there are several waves of Dodgers top prospects behind Gavin Lux and Keibert Ruiz, highlighted by pitcher Josiah Gray and impressive utility man Michael Busch.

So, there you have it. The Double-Dipping Dodgers have earned high praise for their MLB maneuvers and organizational depth, making the 2020 LAD among the best-positioned franchises Baseball America has ever seen.

Earning a ring while mortgaging nearly none of your future. Not a bad way to be a champion.

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