Andrew Friedman: Four Questions for the Dodgers New President of Baseball Operations

Andrew Friedman was named the Los Angeles Dodgers’ President of Baseball Operations earlier this week. The move to pry Friedman away from Tampa Bay materialized, seemingly out of nowhere, on Tuesday afternoon. The Dodgers didn’t fire current GM Ned Colletti, instead moving him upstairs to be a “special adviser” to team president Stan Kasten, which I presume involving making coffee and wearing a suit.

The dichotomy between the Dodgers and Rays couldn’t be more stark. Los Angeles had the highest opening day payroll in baseball this year at nearly $230 million, whereas Tampa Bay checked in at $76 million. The Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez passed along that a former colleague of Friedman’s in Tampa compared the move, “to a driver moving from NASCAR to open-wheel racing.”

Friedman, who worked as an analyst at Bear Stearns, before taking over the Rays in 2005 helped oversee a nearly 20-win per year improvement. Accordingly the 37-year-old has been hailed a “genius” and “boy wonder” by the baseball media.

Friedman, if his track record in Tampa Bay is worth anything, should be an improvement over the oft-befuddling Colletti. Looking at the structure of the Dodgers going into 2015, Friedman isn’t going to be able to wave a magic wand and turn the team into a World Series winner. The Dodgers have won 90+ games the last two seasons and possess the best starting pitcher in baseball, yet they haven’t been able to get over the hump to end their World Series drought that dates back to 1988. The Dodgers don’t exactly need major tweaks across the diamond and whatever changes the team makes under Friedman won’t guarantee success in short series playoff format.

Here are a couple questions for the Dodgers worth considering in the eye-opening wake of the Friedman hire:

What happens with Joe Maddon (and Don Mattingly)?

Friedman and Maddon are looked at as a package deal in turning around then-Devil Rays following the team’s purchase by Stuart Sternberg in 2005. Tampa lost 90+ games its first decade of existence and has now been to the playoffs four times in the last seven years. After the initial Friedman news broke, the assumption was Maddon would follow him to SoCal.

Maddon, however, remains under contract with Tampa through 2015 and says “he’s a Ray.” The Dodgers would have to trade something of value to pry him away from the Rays. Don Mattingly signed an extension through 2016 with the Dodgers last year and in spite of his questionable 2014 postseason it looks like the team will go forward with him … for now.

What happens to Hanley Ramirez?

When healthy, Ramirez can stake a claim for best two-way shortstop in the game. He’ll also be one of the most-coveted free agents this winter and likely command — at least initially — a contract worth $20 million per season. With Friedman in charge instead of Colletti a mega-deal to retain Ramirez seems much more unlikely because …

How much flexibility will Friedman have to make moves in LA?

Via Baseball Prospectus, the Dodgers have $190+ million tied up in 14 players for 2015. Zach Greinke, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez are each due over $20 million apiece, while Clayton Kershaw enters the first year of his mega-deal and will pocket $32+ million in 2015. By contrast the Rays only have one player due eight figures in 2015 — Evan Longoria, whom Friedman signed to a team-friendly six-year, $100 million extension in 2012.

With the Rays Friedman earned plaudits for trading impending free agents who’d be too expensive for the Rays to retain like James Shields and David Price for prospects, or signing guys like Longoria to extensions that bought-out their arbitration years. Given how baseball’s economy works nowadays, few teams — even the Yankees or Red Sox — aren’t going to be burning up Friedman’s cell to acquire someone like Andre Either, owed $18 million each of the next three seasons.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, Yasiel Puig is signed for a team-friendly 7-year, $42 million deal.

The Dodgers — cash-rich thanks to a new cable deal — are willing to spend money, but given their commitments (and a weak free agent market) they don’t have a lot options — or openings — to spend their way to a title.

Can he build a bullpen?

One way or another the Rays, year-after-year, have been able to build an effective bullpen with low-cost options. Guys like Fernando Rodney and Grant Balfour have thrived at the Trop for bargain prices. The Dodgers pen, as we saw in the NLDS vs. the Cardinals, was a mess aside from standout closer Kenley Jansen. Right now the situation isn’t pretty, thanks to some of Colletti’s signings. Brian Wilson, Brandon League and J.P. Howell are due a combined $24+ million in 2015. Despite those commitments, logic says the Dodgers will throw a lot of money toward Orioles lefty Andrew Miller in free agency who positioned himself as a coveted commodity.

Above all, how much will Friedman change now flush with money to lavish on players after operating thriftily with Tampa for so many years? Los Angeles made a smart move to hire him, but Friedman will need to be a different type of resourceful in SoCal given the situation he inherits.