The Dodgers' strategy of "building for sustainable success instead of focusing strictly on the present has riled up" many of the organization's fans, according to Jorge Ortiz of USA TODAY. This past offseason, the club decided not to "offer a sixth year" to P Zack Greinke or to "pay the steep price" for top free agents. Instead, the front office "went for less-accomplished and cheaper starters." Ortiz notes the moves "have puzzled many, who got used to watching the Dodgers spare no expense in trying to improve the team" since Guggenheim Baseball Management took ownership in '12. However, that approach "was meant as a short term fix to prop up a franchise that had fallen in despair under previous Owner Frank McCourt." Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, who joined the organization in '14, has implemented a model that "calls for balancing the payroll with a steady pipeline of talent from the farm system." Ortiz writes Friedman is aware such "arcane positives don't always sell well in a city where stars and glitz rule." Friedman: "I certainly get that. I was a fan at one point. ... We have to do as good a job as we can to not let emotions dictate decisions." Friedman noted how important a strong farm system can be, saying, "It's certainly the most challenging thing for a large-revenue team to maintain a consistent elite level of performance year to year while creating the type of system that's critical to give you as good a chance as possible of sustaining it" (USA TODAY, 2/29).
KOUFAX NO LONGER WITH TEAM: In L.A., Andy McCullough reported Baseball HOFer Sandy Koufax is "no longer a member of the Dodgers front office." Koufax "was a special advisor" to Chair Mark Walter since '13. Dodgers Exec VP & CMO Lon Rosen told MLB.com the departure was "very amicable" (L.A. TIMES, 2/27).
