The Dodgers yesterday named Rays Exec VP/Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman to the newly created position of President of Baseball Operations, giving the team a "rising star front-office executive," according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. TIMES. GM Ned Colletti was reassigned "to an advisory role that insiders described as ceremonial." President & CEO Stan Kasten claimed that the shakeup "wasn't a reaction to the Dodgers' first-round elimination from the playoffs." Friedman "is known for building contenders with minimal financial backing," but will take control of a team that spent $240M on player salaries in '14, "about three times what the Rays spent." The trade-off "is less autonomy" with the Dodgers, as he now reports to Kasten. Kasten: "Like in any department, you run things by your department head, by your president, OK? I expect to be involved in helping him, like I've been involved in other teams." Kasten anticipates that Friedman "will hire" a GM to work under him (L.A. TIMES, 10/15). SI.com's Jay Jaffe reported the Dodgers' move "had apparently been in the works even before they were eliminated last week" (SI.com, 10/14). In L.A., JP Hoornstra notes Friedman's introductory press conference "is expected at a future date" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 10/15).
BIG GET: ESPN L.A.'s Ramona Shelburne wrote landing Friedman "is a coup for the Dodgers." Sources said that the Dodgers' "failed pursuit" of a trade for former Rays P David Price this past summer "only heightened their admiration of Friedman." Meanwhile, Kasten noted that Colletti "has a new contract, though he wouldn't specify the length of the deal." Colletti when asked if he viewed the move as a demotion said, "If you want to let pride and ego get in the way, yeah, you could write that." Kasten then interjected, "We've discussed that. It's a moving-over" (ESPNLA.com, 10/14). FOXSPORTS.com's Ken Rosenthal writes it is "about time the Dodgers got with the program." If you are "going to spend freely to get the best players, why not do the same to get the best" GM? The Dodgers "expect their payroll to gradually decline," but even if the number falls from $240M to $175M, that still will be $100M more than Friedman "ever had with the Rays." This "isn't the same" as when the Dodgers hired Paul DePodesta away from the A's to be their GM in '04. Rosenthal: "Friedman knows the job. He has done the job. And now, for the first time, the game isn't stacked against him" (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/15). In DC, Barry Svrluga writes Friedman "defines the new-age baseball executive: a former analyst at Bear Stearns who later worked at a private equity firm, he didn’t grow up sitting behind home plate at spring training games, radar gun in hand, reading the tilt on a breaking ball." Rather, he "understands markets and how players are best acquired in each one -- draft, trade, free agency and foreign." His record "is striking." But what he "is entering here is, oddly enough, a completely different challenge" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/15). MLB Network's Kevin Millar said of Friedman, "This guy knows how to assemble a ballclub." MLB Net's Chris Rose: "Now it is time for the Dodgers to listen twice as much as they speak. Listen to what he is saying" ("Intentional Talk," MLB Network, 10/14).
CHANGE IS COMING: In L.A., Steve Dilbeck writes Friedman "was one of the biggest, glossiest names out there in the GM world, so naturally Kasten gravitated to him." The only thing "certain" is that the "culture around the Dodgers’ front office is going to change" (L.A. TIMES, 10/15). In California, Jeff Miller writes under the header, "Dodgers Hiring Friedman Is Such A Good Move It's Scary." Miller: "One week after getting it all wrong, the Dodgers evidently couldn’t have gotten it any more right. They’ve hired a bright, young mind to run their baseball operations, while managing to hold on to their appointed fall guy who also happens to be a likeable and well-respected individual who rightly deserved better" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 10/15). In L.A., Bill Plaschke in a front-page piece writes the Dodgers "made a move that could change a culture." Friedman "is a leading proponent of the empirical analysis of baseball statistics," which makes him "the polar opposite of Colletti." While Colletti "helped bring the Dodgers five playoff appearances in his nine years, he didn't always spend wisely." With the Dodgers' record $240M payroll "having failed to reach the World Series in consecutive seasons," ownership group Guggenheim Partners' focus "has changed, and now the baseball brain trust will change with it" (L.A. TIMES, 10/15). ESPN L.A.'s Mark Saxon wrote under the header, "Dodgers Step Into 21st Century." Saxon: "Drenched as the organization is in tradition, becoming hidebound is the quickest path to irrelevance in baseball or any other sport." The Dodgers "aren't going to become" the Rays or A's overnight, "nor are they trying to become that, with a huge stadium they can nearly fill on a nightly basis and one of the best brands in sports." Yesterday's front-office shakeup "was more about lifting constraints than creating them" (ESPNLA.com, 10/14). However, CSN Bay Area's Ray Ratto said the Dodgers will likely not reduce spending under Friedman because it is "their biggest advantage" ("Yahoo Sports Talk Live," CSNBA, 10/14).
EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH: CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Heyman wrote there is "no question" Friedman and the others who ran the Rays' baseball department "are very smart and made many good decisions over the years." But starting today, he "has a totally different job, one where there are expectations, there is pressure and folks are actually paying attention." Anything "would have been fine in sleepy St. Pete." When you "have no money, it's much harder to make a big mistake." In L.A., there "will be plenty of choices, and each and every one of them will be dissected." For all its reputation as a "laid-back big town, there is a lot of heat there." The media "is more intense than anyone realizes." The fan base, which "hasn't witnessed a World Series victory since 1988, is restless." And certainly, Guggenheim Partners, which spent a record $2.15B to buy the club, "is anxious" (CBSSPORTS.com, 10/14).
JAB AT THE GIANTS? CBS Sports Network's Tracy Wolfson said the timing by the Dodgers on the Friedman announcement is a "little bit questionable." CBSSN's Amy Trask said, "My understanding is Major League Baseball is not thrilled with the Dodgers that they picked the day their National League West rivals just up Highway 101 in California were hosting an NLCS game. Look, the Dodgers may not have done this intentionally, it may not have been their design to try to steal some of that thunder or attention, (but) I don't like the optics of the timing, a little jab. They could have picked a different day" ("We Need To Talk," CBSSN, 10/14).
