He doubled-down on his decision to not make a big move.
The trade deadline played a big role in the Dodgers vs. Padres NLDS. While the Dodgers were relatively quiet in early August, acquiring Chris Martin and Joey Gallo, the Padres were about as loud as you can be. They acquired Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader, and loaded up for a deep postseason run.
The Dodgers’ acquisitions were not necessarily bad, although Gallo did disappoint down the stretch and didn’t even play a second of postseason baseball.
But the Padres’ acquisitions were sensational, and helped lead the Padres to their first ever postseason victory over the Dodgers.
Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman was asked about the deadline, and if he regretted not making a bigger move, most notably for a starting pitcher.
“I don’t regret not doing a bad deal for us,” Friedman said. “I don’t think it was our starting pitching, or our pitching in general, that’s the reason we’re here today.”
At the time of the trade deadline, it was (at least publicly) expected that Walker Buehler would return in time for the postseason. It was also expected Dustin May would be fully healthy. If that were the case, the Dodgers would have a surplus of starting pitching during a time where you don’t need more than four.
However, injuries took a toll on the team, and by the time the postseason rolled around, the Dodgers had about three-and-a-half reliable starters.
So it’s easy to go back and question whether or not the Dodgers should have made a splashier acquisition. But Friedman saying he’s happy they didn’t make a ‘bad deal’ makes it clear they didn’t really get an offer they wanted.
