I partially agree with the article.Originally Posted by Sanlmar
Kershaw is a #3 starter now on a playoff team. That's a fact.
Jansen is no longer a lockdown closer. Another fact.
Neither will get better. Both will be 32 next season, with Jansen turning 33 toward the end.
Seager isn't a lost cause yet. You shouldn't build the franchise around him or give him a monster contract, but he will just be turning 26 as the 2020 season starts. Max Muncy and Justin Turner, both reliable bats in 2019 (and in the postseason) were non-factors in MLB at age 26. Seager was well regarded enough and had a good enough start to his career to where he deserves more time to get things right following that year off.
Joc is Joc. He only hits HR from one side of the plate, strikes out a ton, and doesn't hit for average. He did hit 36 HR, so he has his usefulness. Not a superstar you build the team around, but useful to have if he doesn't cost too much.
Last offseason was a terrible one for the Dodgers. The two biggest acquisitions were Kelly and Pollock -- both for decent money, both for multiple years, and both with a laundry list of reasons that they'd likely fail and become dead money.
Friedman can't free agent.
He just can't.
He's too locked in the small market mindset of signing flawed players with a tiny sliver of high upside. At the same time, he shies away from big money free agents, and won't pull the trigger on big trades.
Dodgers need to act like a big market team and sign Gerrit Cole.
Friedman is just fortunate that he's run well with young in-house players and stumbled into unexpected productivity from nobodies Chris Taylor and Max Muncy (especially Muncy). Otherwise he'd probably be gone by now.
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