Heading into the 2019 offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a variety of options to improve their club for next year and beyond.
Coming off a season in which they won a franchise-record 106 games but were upset by the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series, it is clear some changes need to be made if the Dodgers want to return to and win the World Series.
The Dodgers have money to spend this winter, even if they want to remain below the luxury tax threshold once more. They also have prospect capital and depth on their Major League roster if they want to go the trade route.
L.A. has been linked to just about every big-name player who was or is available, including but not limited to Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, Josh Donaldson, Francisco Lindor and Mookie Betts. Strasburg has since re-signed with the Nationals, Cole agreed to a record deal with the New York Yankees, and Rendon signed with the L.A. Angels.
If the Dodgers have a clear-cut plan this offseason, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has not yet let it be known.
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten commented on potential moves, once again reiterating the focus is not only on improving for 2020, but also looking at the future as well, via MLB Network Radio:
“We always are looking to make our team better for this year and the future. I hate to be vague but that’s just how we wake up every morning thinking about things. Maybe it’s a free agent, maybe it’s a trade, maybe it’s neither. Just winning the offseason, winning the Winter Meetings, that’s not a factor. Making the team better is a factor. Making it better in a way that keeps us better in the long haul with all the many considerations go into that kind of judgement, that’s what we focus on.”
The Dodgers have been cautious in their pursuit of free agents in years past, foregoing the opportunity to sign top players like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado to the long-term contracts that they eventually signed with other clubs.
Because of that, they have a ton of financial flexibility moving forward and could have used some of that this winter on a player like Rendon, who was a natural fit to add to the lineup as a consistent right-handed bat.
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