Dodgers President Andrew Friedman Puts Blame on Offense for NLDS Loss

The 2023 season once again saw the Dodgers flame out in the postseason, this time getting swept by the division rival Arizona Diamondbacks. It was as frustrating of a postseason defeat as this organization has seen in years, and now the team enters the offseason trying to figure out what exactly went wrong.

After a year of setting records offensively, it was very strange to see them fall so flat. Coming into their series against Arizona, nobody expected the offense to be a problem, but it doomed them yet again.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman spoke about the offensive issues that plagued LA during these playoffs.

“For offense to be an issue this year was really surprising to us,” Friedman said. “We scored over 900 runs for the first time in Los Angeles Dodgers history. It’s the best offensive team we’ve had in this run. So that was surprising to us. Obviously, there are three-game snippets throughout the year where our offense doesn’t perform. How much of it is that? How much of it is other things? I don’t know the answer. And a lot of these things it’s hard to know the answer to.”

Via Dodgers Nation YouTube

While nobody could have expected this result, it still doesn’t excuse the fact that it happened. The two best players for the Dodgers, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, went a combined 1-21 against Arizona, and when the stars aren’t hitting at all, it can be very difficult for the rest of the team to do anything.

"For our offense to be an issue this year was really surprising to us. We scored over 900 runs for the first time in Los Angeles Dodgers history. It's the best offensive team we've had in this run."

Andrew Friedman didn't expect the Dodgers' offense to disappear in October.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) October 17, 2023

This fallout in the postseason is just another reminder of the issues that this franchise has seen over the years. It seems that when the calendar flips to October, the Dodgers forget how to play baseball, and they forget what got them there in the first place.

Andrew Friedman was asked about the pitching staff and said this:

"I think our bigger issue is the offense because it was unexpected."

He said if you would have told him that the pitching would allow 4 runs in Games 2 and 3, he would have expected to win at least one of them.
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 17, 2023

It was one of the weirder postseasons in recent memory for LA, and it now sent LA into a new low for playoff disappointments. Fans have had enough of the team underperforming each season, and Friedman addressed the difference between October and the regular season.

“There is an element that is October theater and just what plays out on a daily and nightly basis. And there’s other things that we can do a better job of. How to separate those, it’s incumbent upon us to figure out.”

Via Dodgers Nation YouTube

LA can’t enter this offseason with the same operation that they have in years past. Something needs to change, otherwise, it will be very hard to sell this team to all the loyal fans next season