Dodgers: LA Times Columnist Says Boys in Blue Most Likely Will Play It Safe This Offseason
The Dodgers ended the 2022 season on a sour note. They got run off the field against their rivals San Diego Padres, while their bats were non-existent and their pitching depth was not up to par.
Many experts and fans believe that LA needs to sign at least one of the many big names on the free-agent market because of how last season ended. However, LA sports columnist Dylan Hernandez believes LA shouldn't blow money on a big-name free agent.
"When I'm listening to Friedman and Kasten then you begin to read between the lines. My guess is that they are going to reset their luxury tax, this will be the year they dip under based on how much they are talking about their prospects. They don't seem to have a Corey Seager type of guy where you know you can automatically plug him in so it's kind of odd, the timing of it. But that's what leads me to believe they are using this year to go under the tax. My guess is that they are going to have to replace Anderson with a starting pitcher. I don't think it will be Verlander but probably closer to where Anderson was this time last year.
They've showed that even years that they don't make a lot of big moves in the offseason, they will still make the playoffs."
Many people (including myself) thought that this would be the off-season to make the necessary changes to get over the playoff woes. It looks like the Dodgers will do that, but they will take a different approach.
The Dodgers have the in-house talent to rebrand themselves and get that 162-game plus playoff monkey off their back.
Even though acquiring a huge name would be nice, that's not always the appropriate response. It looks like the Dodgers won't be responding that way, either.
If the Dodgers choose to go young and let the kids play, it'll be interesting to see how the youngins respond to the challenge.
