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Inside The Dodgers

Will Dodgers Shake Up Coaching Staff This Offseason? Andrew Friedman Answers

Expectations can change as new job opportunities come open.
Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach and acting manager for the game Danny Lehmann (left) and Bob Geren (center) watch the game from the dugout in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 6, 2023.
Los Angeles Dodgers bench coach and acting manager for the game Danny Lehmann (left) and Bob Geren (center) watch the game from the dugout in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 6, 2023. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

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The Los Angeles Dodgers' 2027 coaching staff could look a lot like the 2026 version.

But with two teams looking for a general manager, and three in need of a manger, there's plenty of time for that to change.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was asked Wednesday whether he expects any changes to his front office or coaching staff this offseason.

“I expect status quo,” Friedman said. “Still working through things but expect status quo.”

What's there to work through?

Start with the two teams still playing. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have less reason than any MLB teams to shake things up after reaching the World Series. Still, the knock-on effects of their success could eventually reach the Dodgers.

That's because the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels all need managers for next season. The Angels and Astros are likely to identify their next field manager only after a new general manager is in place, and takes time to fill out their front office staff.

Friedman's comments are notable in the context of the Astros' search. Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann has been floated as a possible replacement for Joe Espada.

Lehmann might not be a candidate in Houston (or elsewhere) for now, but the Astros have yet to hire a GM. Once that happens, the Rice alum might get an interview request.

Every team with a manager and GM vacancy could be waiting for the World Series to conclude to interview preferred candidates from the Brewers and Rays front office or field staffs. If that's the case, jobs could soon come open in Tampa and Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, in West Sacramento, the Athletics just hired Red Sox executive Taylor Smith to be their new president of baseball operations. How many changes he plans to make to the A's front office and coaching staff has yet to be revealed; Smith was only introduced to the media on Wednesday.

"Status quo" is boring, but might be the preferred outcome in Los Angeles. The Dodgers became the first team this century to win consecutive World Series in 2024 and 2025. This month, they fell one round short of reaching another. Clearly, the front office and field staff is doing something right.

The only question is whether another team will want to emulate the Dodgers' success by hiring their personnel this offseason. There's still time for that to happen.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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