The Los Angeles Dodgers' front office is seen as the best in baseball according to a survey of executives and coaches by The Athletic.
One executive told The Athletic that the first-place vote for Los Angeles was "self-explanatory. They are elite at everything."
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has been with the franchise since the fall of 2014, taking over a "treasure trove" of talent from former president Ned Colletti, per The Athletic. However, nearly all of those inherited stars are now gone, with the exception of Clayton Kershaw.
Along with general manager Brandon Gomes, assistant general managers Jeff Kingston and Alex Slater and advisor Josh Byrnes, the Dodgers' front office, led by Friedman, is referred to as a true "juggernaut," according to The Athletic.
The Athletic reported that when Friedman joined the team in 2014, his goal was to make his tenure known as the "golden era of Dodger Baseball." With no missed postseason appearances since then, two World Series titles and two National League pennant wins, Friedman has certainly accomplished this.
In addition, the acquisition of three-time MVP and former Rookie of the Year Shohei Ohtani has further solidified his achievement of that goal.
"Billy Gasparino, the scouting director recently promoted to vice president of baseball operations, has drafted well despite picking in the latter half of the first round every summer," The Athletic wrote. "The farm system continues to churn out prospects. The roster tends to be well-managed. Friedman often corrects big-league deficiencies with midseason acquisitions; the stars he has acquired at the deadline include Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Manny Machado."
Another executive highlighted Friedman's ability to identify and sign the right stars, citing his acquisitions of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani as prime examples, per The Athletic.
"Another executive explained, that stems from the front office's "insane discipline," not wasting resources on mid-tier players so that when a star becomes available, the team can pounce," The Athletic wrote. "Andrew," another executive said, "is the best at this."
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