"As they attempt to make it a threepeat, however, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register writes that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman suggested to reporters that there's "not as much heavy lifting required" this year as there was in previous winters, and acknowledged that the Dodgers may alter their approach somewhat as they look to avoid some of the perils that come with an aging core."
"The pitching side has a bit more young talent thanks to the additions of Yamamoto and Sasaki, and homegrown arms like Emmet Sheehan, Ben Casparius, and Jack Dreyer all impacted the team as well. Even so, the Dodgers were already the oldest team in the majors this year (their Opening Day roster had an average age of 31.5). Freddie Freeman (36) and Mookie Betts (33) are under contract through their age-37 and -39 seasons, respectively."
The Dodgers captured consecutive World Series titles after large offseason investments to acquire Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and other key additions. Management indicated there is "not as much heavy lifting required" this winter and may adjust roster strategy to reduce risks tied to an aging core. Only three position players younger than 30 played at least 50 games last season, while pitching benefited from younger acquisitions and homegrown arms. The Opening Day roster averaged 31.5 years. Several veteran stars have contracts extending into their late 30s. The farm system includes seven top-100 prospects, four at Double-A or higher, offering youth options.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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