If Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi have taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected from one of baseball’s most successful dynamic duos. I mean let’s face it, until the two Dodgers execs came on-board following the 2014 season, even the most savvy Dodger fans hadn’t heard of guys named Chris Taylor, Trayce Thompson, Charlie Culberson, Brandon Morrow, or even Japanese pitching sensation Kenta Maeda. Interestingly enough, however, is that nearly all of these eventual golden nugget acquisitions occurred quite late in what are generally very active off-seasons.

Dodgers president of Baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manage Farhan Zaidi have an uncanny knack for finding hidden talent missed by other MLB teams.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

From a raw numbers standpoint, the Dodgers have been relatively quiet since that painful game-7 World Series loss to the Houston Astros on November 1. Then again, much of the entire baseball world has been relatively quiet this off-season as well. Oh sure, there was all of the the hype and hoopla over the Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani acquisitions by the Yankees and Angels respectively, and certainly the was some significant buzz when the Dodgers acquired right-handers Tom Koehler and Dylan Baker and left-hander Henry Owens over the past month. But for the most part, it seems as though Friedman and Zaidi are once again lying in wait hoping to find another diamond in the rough that will (hopefully) lead the Dodgers to their sixth consecutive National League West title, of which F&Z orchestrated the last three.

But for impatient Dodger fans (including yours truly), there is reassurance in knowing that it is not uncommon for Friedman and Zaidi to wait until the proverbial last minute – or beyond – to find that hidden treasure that every other MLB team somehow missed; a credit to their outstanding scouting and player development staff. In fact, since taking over the reins from former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti (who orchestrated those other two NL West titles, not to mention several other trips to the postseason for the Dodgers), not a single spring training has begun without at least one new face in the Dodgers Camelback Ranch clubhouse when pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, and usually a few more.

…and there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to believe that this won’t happen again. In fact, it’s a very safe bet that it will.

Brandon Morrow, the Dodgers golden nugget of 2017, wasn’t signed until January 25, 2017.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

History has also taught us that once one or two notable free agent signings occur – usually in mid to late January – the floodgates open and many other free agent signings (and trades) soon follow. And while the Dodgers have been flying under the trade rumor radar this off-season, they clearly have starting pitching and even additional bullpen needs that will probably put them back on that radar. And even though the Dodgers haven’t been included in Jake Arrieta and/or Gerrit Cole rumors, don’t count them out on either just yet.

…after all, it is Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi that we’re talking about here.

Stay tuned…