Andrew Friedman sat with his newest star acquisition to his left, a group of enthusiastically trustful fans screaming his praises from nearby, and smiled as he made a bold proclamation about the Dodgers’ fortunes 12 months ago.
“I can argue that the next five years’ outlook,” Friedman said last March, during an introductory news conference for Freddie Freeman at the Dodgers Camelback Ranch spring-training complex, “is better than what we accomplished over the previous five.”
In other words, even after a run in which the Dodgers won one World Series, three National League pennants, and more games than any other club in Major League Baseball, Friedman envisioned a future that could be even better.
He hoped the next chapter of Dodgers baseball could match, if not surpass, the last.
And one year later, the organization is about to get its best indication yet of whether that goal — seen as aspirational by some, outlandish by others — might come true.
After perhaps the most extensive offseason roster turnover of Friedman’s nine-year tenure in L.A., the Dodgers are entering the 2023 season in the midst of a transitional phase.
They are still confident they can be a title contender. And they should still have one of the best teams in baseball.
But they are also cycling from one generation of franchise favorites to what they hope will be the next, resulting in a new-look squad facing as many unknowns as almost any Friedman and company have assembled.
“That’s the fine line that we’re constantly managing,” Friedman said, “in terms of, how to be as good as we can be in the present, while also maintaining a really strong future outlook.”
The process has been several years in the making.
It started with the departures of many familiar faces; from fan favorites such as Joc Pederson and Enrique Hernández, to beloved young stars in Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, to franchise stalwarts such as Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen most of all.
It might not be over, either. Julio Urías will be a free agent this offseason. Walker Buehler could hit the market the winter after him. Max Muncy has no…