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2 Dodgers moves Andrew Friedman deserves praise for and 2 that deserve scorn in 2023
While the 2023 regular season has not quite started off on the right foot for the Los Angeles Dodgers, things are beginning to turn around for the club -- and fast.
Entering Tuesday tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the division with a 12-11 record, the Dodgers have a clear advantage over the rest of the NL West thanks to the top-shelf roster they've assembled that's put together a +19 run differential so far.
Under the direction of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, this club still has "perennial contender" written all over it. Since Friedman took over in 2015, multiple high-end players have been brought up as homegrown talent (including Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Will Smith, Gavin Lux etc.) or acquired via trade or free agency.
While some of the moves he's made -- like missing out on most of the top-tier free agents in the 2022-2023 offseason, trading away Yordan Alvarez, and signing some aging starters to awful contracts a while back -- have not all been well-received, he deserves his fair share of praise as well.
Life isn't easy when you're calling the shots for one of the most storied franchies. Nobody bats 1.000 in this sport.
2 Dodgers moves Andrew Friedman deserves praise for and 2 that deserve scorn
Extending Max Muncy
Prior to his days roaming the Dodgers' infield, Max Muncy was a weak-hitting infielder for the Oakland Athletics who seemed destined for a life in Triple-A. He was released in March of 2017 after posting a combined .195 average through 96 games and was signed by the Dodgers just one month later.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Friedman brought Muncy aboard and saw him blossom into one of the best power hitters in the game. In his very first year on the club, the lefty slugger hit 35 home runs. The following year, 35 more. He finished 15th in the NL MVP voting twice and made the first of two All-Star Games of his career as well.
Things have not been perfect for him along the way, as he struggled in 2020 and 2022, but Friedman had the foresight to extend Muncy in the middle of last season when he was struggling, and the move is looking genius. Muncy leads MLB with 11 home runs and has seemingly rediscovered his MVP-like self.
Adding James Outman to the 2023 Opening Day roster
After getting into just four games last year for the Dodgers, James Outman was a highly-touted prospect prior to the 2023 season. After all, he hit .462 across 13 at-bats last year, doing more than enough (albeit in a small sample size) to keep his name near the top of the list to make the 2023 Opening Day roster.
So here we are, over three weeks into the regular season. Outman made the roster after the path was seemingly cleared for him and he has been tearing it up what feels like every single night. He has emerged as the club's primary center fielder while also playing the corner spots.
At the plate, the lefty-swinging youngster has been incredible. In 74 at-bats, he already has two doubles, three triples, seven home runs and a .311 average. If this play continues, an All-Star Game nod is not out of the question. If not, Outman surely will have an NL Rookie of the Year Award in his sights.
Andrew Friedman should've never signed David Peralta
There was no real way that bringing an outfielder in his mid-30s aboard to play nearly every day for the Dodgers was a good idea. So far, David Peralta has been doing everything he can to prove that that's true.
Peralta, a longtime member of the division-rival Diamondbacks, had turned himself into a good outfielder over the years, winning both a Silver Slugger (2018) and Gold Glove (2019) along the way. He has been right around league-average with the bat but had a hard time getting things going last year.
Through 20 games in 2023, Peralta has a .208 average with 10 strikeouts in 48 at-bats. He's recorded just two extra-base hits and has an OPS+ of 42, meaning he's 58% below league-average to kick things off. Fortunately, he's playing out a cheap contract, but his presence has been something of an eyesore so far. The Dodgers could've spent $6.5 million more wisely.
Cody Bellinger should've never been let go by the Dodgers
The current season didn't get off to the best start for Cody Bellinger, but he's caught fire lately and shown the Dodgers exactly why he should've been given a longer leash.
Throughout his six-year tenure in Los Angeles, Bellinger experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He won a Rookie of the Year and MVP Award, made two All-Star Games, and even turned himself into one of the best defensive outfielders in the league.
Then the wheels began to come off and he spiraled quickly. In 2021 and 2022, Bellinger hit a combined 29 home runs in 239 games, good for a .193 average and 65 OPS+. No matter which way you look at it, he was one of the worst hitters around.
Naturally, it took him being non-tendered for him to return to his old ways. It's still early in the current campaign, but his loss hurts more and more every day as the Dodgers continue to trot out has-beens like Peralta and Jason Heyward while the Cubs may have found an All-Star as Bellinger's could be experiencing a resurgence.