Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Andrew Friedman Talks Free Agency Strategy Amidst CBA Uncertainty

The Dodgers President of Operations Andrew Friedman met with the media Wednesday afternoon following the Dodgers NLCS loss to the Braves. Addressing a bevy of topics, the question of all the Dodgers free agents coming off the books was inevitable.

The Question Gets More Complicated

With the expiration of the current CBA set to happen on December 1st, 2021 however, the question has now become more complicated. Friedman’s response was nuanced, but also carefully crafted.



“It’s a good question I think so much of it will get back to the individual player and what their mindset is. These guys have worked really hard to put themselves in position to be a free agent and to figure out what makes the most sense for them. In some instances I can see someone say ‘hey I want to be here. Let’s engage and talk about that.’ Others it could be ‘I want to fully vet out the market.’ neither answers are right or wrong. It’s really personal and so I think we’ll kind of draft off of each individual guy and what their mindset is and figure it out as we go.”

Friedman’s response can be seen positively. He alluded to the idea that if a player really wants to come back to LA, the front office will do their best to work with their desires in a contract. The business is always the most important part for the front office, though. That notion has to be realistically understood by all.

With that said, with the CBA set to expire, this is no regular offseason. Unfortunately, in the offseason with the most Dodger fan favorites set to leave, the front office’s job gets even harder.

Potential Lockout?

When Friedman was asked if the Dodgers front office was prepared for a potential lockout, this was what he had to say.

“Well, I guess in that we’d have to be you know? I think from our standpoint we are one of 30 teams. There are people working really hard at that and as soon as we have news on that, obviously, we need to be prepared accordingly for whatever that is. We just are reading the news kind of like you guys and then reacting based on what’s going on.”

Not the most confidence-inducing answer, but there is not much else Friedman could really say. The Front office individuals who work on that side of the job can’t do anything about a labor dispute. The front office will just be in a perpetually frozen state, should there be a lockout.

Who Are the Free Agents?

Lastly, these are the players who are now free agents since LA’s early postseason exit.

  • Danny Duffy
  • Cole Hamels
  • Kenley Jansen
  • Clayton Kershaw
  • Corey Knebel
  • Jimmy Nelson
  • Albert Pujols
  • Max Scherzer
  • Corey Seager
  • Steven Souza Jr.
  • Chris Taylor

I don’t have to highlight the handful of Dodger fan favorites in that list. The potential for a lockout will have huge consequences on the future of the Dodgers roster, and the fans. What the offseason will bring is unfortunately just a mystery at the moment, and Dodger fans can only hope and wait.

AJ Gonzalez

AJ is a lifelong Dodgers and Lakers fan who grew up in California. His whole family is also lifelong Dodgers fans. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, two kids, his guitars, and beagle Kobe.

19 Comments

  1. Can’t remember under which story I posted but I had fleshed out all my takeaways from his interview yesterday already.

    1. D-Boy…. Now that we’ve had time to reflect. Drrrrrrrrrrrr ruined a dynasty team.. The Padres picked up Melvin, now there’s 2 managers in the west that will school Drrrrrrrr. The window has closed….

  2. Bob Melvin is not gonna school anyone with these stats:
    2021 – 162 Games…..W 86 L 76
    Career – 2,618 Games….W 1,346 L 1,272

    That makes him a .514 (50/50) Manager….nothing i’d see as special

    1. Melvin with a 35 million dollar pay roll finishes above 500 every year, and challenges or wins the wild card and division is a manager that get’s MORE with less, unlike Drrrrrrr who get’s Less with more. He plays situational baseball, hit and runs, squeezes , sac flies etc. He’s used to winning with basically triple A players. He was a catcher, knows when to pull a pitcher, knows the game of current baseball and tradtional. Drrrrrrrr and the metric lefty righty – shift B.S. will be exploited just like it was this year.. Drrrrrrrr lost with a dynasty team, change is coming… Sad………..

        1. Stick to your Moderator gig D4, truth bombs aren’t your strong suit. Just blabbering. Drrrrrrrrr is the reason this team is watching this World Series period. Doesn’t that tick you off ? It does me……. watching the Astros win with a Old man that plays situational ball is incredibly hard to watch. Drrrrrrrrr ruined a dynasty team…..Can’t win when it counts……Divisions and regular season KING !! DRRRRRRRR……The Rams need cheer leaders, He’d be great…….

      1. Entirely correct! He is now managing a team that has some pretty damn good players. The division just got tougher for the Dodgers. Possibility that the Dodgers could even end up 3rd behind the Giants and Padres now. Friedman can keep spending to get top notch players but he is wasting his money if he has an idiot as a manager.

        1. Drrrrr is exactly what Andrew wants him to be. Metrics. He does what the stats say, that’s what he was hired to do and that’s what he does. For him to be fired Andrew would have to admit that his way of doing things was wrong. That’s not going to happen. Andrew would go before David.

    2. See comment below. Somehow showed up in the wrong place. But thank you Kirk non-Douglas

  3. Kirk “Douglas”, if the show Pad’s beat the Dodgers in 2022, I’ll be the first in line to call for Doc’s unequivocal resignation! I’m not holding my breath.

    1. B.S……. You can’t even admit HE IS the one that makes the decisions….You blame it on Friedman, even though they made it clear yesterday it’s DRRRRRRRR that makes the decisions with line ups etc. Your full of it D4…….Drrrrrrrrrr ruined a dynasty team, time for change……..

      1. Kirk, just because you have a personal axe to grind doesn’t change the records.

        I don’t even own an axe lol 😉

  4. Chris Taylor is a keeper within reason. Max is worthy provided the length of the contract is reasonable as per his age. Seager is going to make his decision and if he leaves he’ll be missed and difficult to replace. The rest are expendable.

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