After setting a franchise record with 111 wins, the Los Angeles Dodgers only won a single playoff game before they were eliminated in the National League Division Series by the San Diego Padres, a team they had no trouble with all year.
With another instance of falling short in the postseason, their ninth in the last 10 years, some outside the organization have called for change, whether it be throughout the roster, coaching staff or front office, if not multiple facets.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been at the forefront of criticism, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed the skipper would “100%” return for 2023. Roberts is signed to a contract extension that runs through the 2025 season.
Meanwhile, Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten also offered his support for Roberts and praised his ability for managing the clubhouse and the rest of the day-to-day things a manager deals with throughout the season, via Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times:
“By the way, this is a much harder job than Xs and O’s. … There’s so much more to it, and Dave manages all of those things as well as anyone you’ve ever seen,” Kasten said.
In addition, Kasten also gave praise to Friedman, who is considered among the top executives in sports and has yet to build a losing club with the Dodgers:
As for Friedman, he said: “We disagree plenty, but we talk through all of those things. Andrew, Mark [Walter, chairman] and I have developed a rhythm that is extraordinarily productive.”
In 2019, the Dodgers signed Friedman to an undisclosed extension, but it figured to be larger than the reported five-year, $35 million deal he signed in 2014 with the team. Last offseason, Roberts signed a three-year extension, and both figure to be around for the long-term:
“I’m very happy with all the things that are currently in place with the Dodgers,” he said. “Andrew is on his way to the Hall of Fame, probably so is Doc. … We are very fortunate to have both of them here.”
Friedman was named MLB Executive Of The Year in 2020 and the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2008, while Roberts was named the 2016 Manager of the Year and a finalist for the award in 2022.
Friedman and Roberts led the Dodgers to a World Series title during the 2020 season, which was the first championship for both of them in leadership roles. Roberts won as a player with the Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Dodgers coaching staff changes
The Dodgers coaching staff was expected to remain intact for the 2023 season, with Friedman recently saying he did not “anticipate” any changes.
That was followed by Clayton McCullough remaining as the first base coach despite drawing interest from the Kansas City Royals as their next manager before they named Matt Quatraro their 18th full-time skipper in franchise history.
However, the Miami Marlins are hiring Brant Brown as their new hitting coach. Brown was a co-hitting coach alongside Robert Van Scoyoc and assistant hitting coach Aaron Bates.
The Dodgers coaching staff had remained unchanged since the start of the 2021 season after McCullough took over as the first base coach when George Lombard was hired by the Detroit Tigers.
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