During last week’s Zoom press conference to introduce former Dodgers Vice-President and Assistant General Manager Brandon Gomes as the team’s new General Manager, our good friend Eric Stephen over at True Blue LA asked Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman if there would be any changes to the Dodgers coaching staff for the 2022 season. The brief exchange went like this:

Eric Stephen: “Is there any updates on, say, the Major League coaching staff, or anything like that?”

Andrew Friedman: “Nnnnoooo.”

If you’ve spent any time around Eric Stephen, you are very well aware that he possesses one of the most brilliant baseball minds on the planet. As such, and if you are of the suspicious type (I am), Stephen’s question, and even more so Friedman’s answer, might have made you say ‘Huh.’ (I did.)

With his answer, Friedman confirmed that he is bringing back his entire 2021 coaching staff for 2022. But it was how he said “No” that undoubtedly raised a few eyebrows of his unseen audience.

Although my (normally) suspicious mind certainly could be reading something into Stephen’s question that isn’t/wasn’t there, it seemed to me that it was a polite way of asking Friedman if there was any truth to the rumors and speculation that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts might not be returning in 2022. This suspicion was compounded with Friedman’s less-than-direct “Nnnnooo” answer.

Again, I most certainly could be reading something into Stephen’s question and even more so Friedman’s answer that isn’t/wasn’t there. But what better platform – and timing – to ask the guy who would be responsible for a major decision such as this?

Simply put, had Friedman’s answer been “No” instead of “Nnnnooo,” we probably wouldn’t even be having this discussion. But regardless of how his answer came across, the bottom line is that the Dodgers coaching staff in 2022 will (apparently) remain unchanged.

Play Ball!

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