Dodgers' Andrew Friedman Gets Honest About Doing Very Little at Trade Deadline

Jan 22, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Andrew Friedman, President of baseball operations speaks during an introductory press conference for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers limped towards the finish line last season with just three starting pitchers available for the 2024 World Series and made roster depth a major priority this past offseason.

Despite all the additions, the Dodgers find themselves dealing with the same frustrating injuries in 2025, and didn't have much to show for it after the trade deadline.

After the most notable addition of the otherwise quiet deadline — reliever Brock Stewart — landed on the injured list Tuesday, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman spoke on why his team didn't pursue more reinforcements on the last day of July.

He was asked if he regretted the lack of moves.

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“We don’t live like that,” Friedman said. “There’s deals that we thought made sense for us we pursued hard. It’s not like we had the potential to do a deal where we were like, ‘No’ and now we wish we would have.

“It’s always that balance. Lining up on a trade is hard. We feel good about the work we put in and the group that we have. Again, taking a snapshot on August 12th is one thing. Hopefully if we make it into October, seeing the roster that we submit we feel that it’s going to be a very, very strong roster. That’s our bet and that’s what we’re going with.”

Stewart's recent shelving due to shoulder inflammation is indicative of what the reality has been for LA's pitching roster this season, but Friedman is confident that his recently acquired pitcher will not only return before October, but also throw quality innings after his hiatus.

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“It wasn’t necessarily about what he could do for us on August 12th,” Friedman said. “It’s much more helping us down the stretch and hopefully with a long October run. We’re still optimistic there, and bet very much on the person.”

The other deadline deals included swapping the struggling Dustin May for outfield prospects James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard, flipping Triple-A catche Hunter Feduccia for pitching prospects Adam Serwinowski, Paul Gervase and catcher Ben Rortvedt, and acquiring outfielder Alex Call from the Washington Nationals for right-handers Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Linan.

Outfielder James Outman was the only subtraction as a result of the Stewart deal. All things considered, the Dodgers improved organizational depth from the deadline, but Call and Stewart were essentially the only ones who can contribute in the immediate.

Friedman appears to be putting his trust, not just in Stewart, but in his other injured stars waiting in the wings to return and make a splash ahead of this October.

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