Latest news with #AndrewFriedman
Newsweek
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Dodgers May Be Forced to Cut Third Slumping Veteran After $34 Million 'Bust'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Dodgers have some weaknesses on their roster and their patience might be running out. The team has clear championship aspirations after another offseason of significant star additions. And the Dodgers made it clear that nostalgia has no place in their march toward the World Series. The Dodgers recently cut their two longest-tenured position players in Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor. Now, as a third veteran continues to slump, they could be looking to part ways with Michael Conforto, too. After joining the Dodgers on a one-year, $17 million contract, Conforto has slashed a dismal .163/.297/.261 so far this season. His performance has been so bad that Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller ranked him as one of the sport's worst "contract busts" of the season. And given that the Dodgers pay a 100% tax on their payroll this season, that bust has really been a $34 million hit. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 03: Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts during a press conference introducing Blake Snell as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium on December 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.... LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 03: Andrew Friedman of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts during a press conference introducing Blake Snell as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium on December 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by)Conforto has struggled so mightily, the Dodgers might have little choice but to cut him. "At this point, they probably wouldn't even be able to trade him away," Miller wrote. "If he doesn't start showing legitimate signs of life, the Dodgers might just have to bite the bullet and drop him like the (Houston) Astros did with José Abreau last June." After the Dodgers did likewise with Taylor and Barnes to clear some room for more promising roster talent, Conforto could be next. Moving him off the roster would make some room for another prospect call up or a trade acquisition. And as the Dodgers look for more production on their way to another World Series, no player seems safe from a harsh wake up call. More MLB: How to Watch Dodgers vs Mets: Live Stream Sunday Night Baseball, TV Channel
Japan Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Shohei Ohtani faces live hitters for first time since elbow surgery
Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound took another step forward on Sunday when he faced live hitters for the first time since his 2023 Tommy John revision surgery on his right elbow. Ohtani faced rookies Kim Hye-seong and Dalton Rushing, as well as team planning coach J.T. Watkins, who stood in as the third hitter, during the session, which came before a road game against the New York Mets. According to reports out of New York, Ohtani had a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Kim doubled and grounded back to the mound. Ohtani has not pitched in a major league game since Aug. 23, 2023, for the Los Angeles Angels when he lasted just 1⅓ innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He also missed the 2019 season as a pitcher for the Angels after he underwent his original Tommy John surgery. In 86 career MLB starts, Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA. His hitting and pitching exploits helped him to earn American League MVP Awards with the Angels in 2021 and 2023. He won the National League MVP for the Dodgers last season as a designated hitter only when he hit 54 home runs with 59 stolen bases. Originally estimated to be back on the mound this month, the Dodgers slowed down Ohtani's rehab schedule, with team president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently saying, the goal was to have Ohtani pitching through October. The recovery schedule could have Ohtani pitching again around the All-Star break.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Andrew Friedman Reveals Process for Austin Barnes, Chris Taylor Decisions
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had to make two very tough roster decisions this week. First, it was designating longtime catcher Austin Barnes for assignment, while it wasn't a total shocker move, he had been with the team for 11 seasons. Next, and most recently, utilityman Chris Taylor was released by the team. Again, not a shocking move considering his level of production over the past couple of seasons, but Taylor had also been a part of the Dodgers team for 10 seasons, and is in the last year of a four-year, $60 million deal. Advertisement Today, the Dodgers' President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, revealed his emotions regarding both moves, per Jack Harris: Dec 14, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman (left) and manager Dave Roberts at press conference at Dodger Lee-USA TODAY Sports "This has been an emotional week for all of us," said Friedman. "Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys left an indelible mark on our culture and where we're at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough, but with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything. We felt that this was in the Dodgers' best interest in terms if how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year. Doesn't mean it was easy, but ultimately felt like it was the right thing to do." Both Taylor and Barnes leave the team as two-time World Series Champions and will always be fan favorites among Dodger Nation. Advertisement Although it is tough to see them go, Friedman is right; these were the right moves to ensure the Dodgers roster is in the best possible place to win a National League West crown, and potentially another NL pennant. Related: Dodgers Make Important Roster Move After Latest Kirby Yates Injury
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Dodgers' pitching continues to crater in latest loss: ‘Battling with what we got'
LOS ANGELES — Andrew Friedman didn't sugarcoat it. There was hardly much of a way to. The Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations was succinct in summing up the state of the club's pitching, which has once again been whittled by injuries. 'Not fun,' Friedman said. The Dodgers' two star free-agent starter signings — Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki — are hurt. So is Tyler Glasnow, one of last year's big prizes. Each of the Dodgers' top four right-handed relief leverage options — Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and now Kirby Yates — are also among the 14 pitchers who reside on the injured list. Not fun, indeed. Even a club seemingly teeming with pitching depth on paper to start the season is feeling the effects. Advertisement The ensuing domino effect has led to ugly results. No team in baseball has asked more out of its relievers than the Dodgers' 200 2/3 bullpen innings entering Monday. Only the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers have had fewer outings of at least six innings than the Dodgers' 11. After getting hit hard Monday in a 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers' team ERA of 4.28 ranks 22nd in baseball, just behind the woeful Chicago White Sox. An alarming situation looked all the more hideous as boos rained down at Dodger Stadium for the club's fourth straight loss. 'It's not the staff we thought we'd have this season,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 'But I feel that what we still do and have done in the past with injuries, we're not doing. And I say that in the sense of getting ahead of hitters and keeping them in the ballpark.' The surface numbers are ugly. The underlying ones are concerning. Only the Baltimore Orioles have seen a higher rate of fly balls leave the ballpark (15.4 percent) than the Dodgers' 14.4 percent homer-to-fly-ball rate. Though their pitchers are getting the swing-and-miss they expected, it has come at the expense of pitch efficiency — opposing hitters are seeing the seventh-most pitches per plate appearance in the sport. It took depth starter Landon Knack 16 pitches just to get Gabriel Moreno to fly out in the fifth inning of Monday's contest. As frustrating as anything to Roberts, he said Monday, is the Dodgers putting themselves behind the eight ball as soon as the plate appearance even begins. The Dodgers entered Monday having thrown a first-pitch strike just 59.8 percent of the time, seventh worst in the majors. That trend is 'disconcerting,' Roberts said. 'It doesn't take a deep dive to see we start 1-and-0 quite often,' Roberts said. 'When you do that, it makes pitching tough. So I think we've got to start being more efficient, certainly from the starters, to give us an opportunity to get deeper into games. The 30-pitch innings just don't play. It's not sustainable. And that starts with getting strike one. That ultimately goes to our entire pitching staff. Advertisement 'I think there's a challenge component of it. Everyone wants to get ahead. Everyone wants to pitch well. I understand that. We all understand that. But there's ways to do that. So I think flagging that — which we have — I expect a difference in that part of the process.' Not that it mattered Monday. Hyeseong Kim misjudged a ball in center field, and Max Muncy threw away a groundball to help Arizona push three runs across over Jack Dreyer's two innings to open for Knack. When Knack entered in the third, he allowed five of the first six batters he faced to reach safely. Two of them hit the ball out of the ballpark. 'I was kind of leaving some pitches over the middle, getting into some deep counts,' said Knack, who essentially has slid in as the Dodgers' temporary fifth starter. 'Just not really executing when we needed to. They took advantage of a couple mistakes. They definitely didn't miss those.' When Knack finished five innings, it was hardly a silver lining in another ugly night. Same for a late offensive surge that forced Arizona's leverage relievers into the game. The Dodgers' vaunted lineup has found itself constantly trying to climb out of deficits. 'It's just tough to find a way to get back healthy and get our guys back out there,' said Mookie Betts, who slugged two home runs in the loss. 'But we're battling with what we got.' Over the first six games of this homestand, the Dodgers trailed in four before they'd even taken an at-bat. 'We got to put up that zero and kind of get a chance to get the game going,' Roberts said. The Dodgers' depth hasn't quite materialized as anticipated. Knack's ERA is 6.17. Justin Wrobleski and Bobby Miller haven't impressed. The team's best young starting option, Ben Casparius, might also be the its only real right-handed leverage option at the moment. Emmet Sheehan's eventual return off the injured list, once seen as a luxury, might be a necessity at this point. Advertisement Friedman argued that the club's run of pitching injuries is not as dire as the one the Dodgers survived en route to the World Series last October. They won despite having three healthy starters, riding a red-hot bullpen while beginning the early stages of an in-house organizational audit of their pitching to find a source for the injuries. Friedman argued that the injuries aren't as severe — each of the Dodgers' prominent pitchers to hit the shelf this season is still on track to return at some point. It doesn't make the present any prettier. 'I said this a lot, and I think anyone who doesn't say it is not being honest: There's a lot we don't know about injury stuff, and I think it's important not to pretend like we have all the answers,' Friedman said. 'There's a lot to it that is really challenging, and we're hoping to continue to grow and learn from experiences and just try to make the smartest, best move we can, knowing we're going to make mistakes.' The most encouraging thing about the state of the Dodgers' pitching staff was present hours before first pitch Monday. Treinen played catch. So did Glasnow. Snell chose Clayton Kershaw as his catch partner as Roberts, general manager Brandon Gomes and assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness looked on. Though Glasnow is 'a tick' ahead of Snell at this point, neither has a set timeline to return, Roberts said. Shohei Ohtani won't enter the mix until after the All-Star break despite taking a meaningful step forward in his rehab by ramping up to 50 pitches in his bullpen sessions. None of that will fix the pitching staff in the present. Or keep it healthy. 'Everything from my brain is about what we can do — like how we can solve this,' Friedman said. 'It's like a game of Whack-a-Mole, and things keep popping up, and we're doing the best we can to hit them down and keep our guys in a good spot to win as many games as we can. It's a good opportunity for some guys, and then hopefully get some reinforcements back. 'The definition of enough depth,' Friedman said, 'I think is a fool's errand.' (Top photo of Landon Knack: Harry How / Getty Images)
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'Primary goal is to win'- President of baseball association Andrew Friedman reacts over Dodgers' roster changes
President of baseball association Andrew Friedman over Dodgers' roster changes (Image Source: Getty) The Los Angeles Dodgers made some big roster changes on Sunday, which goes on to show that they care more about winning now than holding on to longtime players. An important player like Tommy Edman was brought back, but to make room, they released veteran Chris Taylor , who had been with the team for a long time. Andrew Friedman reacts over Dodgers' roster change Among the changes brought in by the Dodgers, they have also added pitcher Lou Trivino from Triple-A after Kirby Yates was left and was put on the injured list. Earlier in the week, they let go of backup catcher Austin Barnes to make space for young prospect Dalton Rushing. These moves show the Dodgers are focused on doing whatever it takes to win this season. — Dodgers (@Dodgers) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swing Trading: Get Free Access to Mr. Hemant's Elite Strategy! TradeWise Learn More Undo President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said: "This has been a very emotional week for all of us, Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we're at at this point." "We saw it in 2021, winning 106 games and not winning the division, Our primary goal during the regular season is to win the division. That is what we feel puts us in the best position to accomplish our ultimate goal." Dodgers' Dave Roberts calls it a tight race Reacting to the entire scenario, Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts said: 'Obviously, we're in a tight race, And I think some of it is the race. Some of it is, you still want to continue to develop young players and give them opportunities with a veteran ballclub.' Also Read: Dodgers Secretly Eye Marcus Stroman As Quiet Fix For Shaky Rotation: Report The Dodgers made surprising changes, partly because the NL West is very competitive this season. They let go of Chris Taylor, who was in the last year of a $60 million deal. This move suggests that Hyeseong Kim, a former KBO star, will stay on the team even when Teoscar Hernández returns. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
