COAST TO COAST

Andrew Friedman has more money to play with in Los Angeles than he did in Tampa Bay, but his core principles remain unchanged— just like the results

- MARC TOPKIN

The team with the blue-accented uniforms got to the World Series based on the many of the tenets and principles Andrew Friedman believes strongly in, including a deep roster with positional versatility, a pitching staff with flexible roles, a focus on run prevention, a strong and positive clubhouse culture and a manager who embraces data and is willing to make bold decisions with buy-in from his players.

Oh yeah, and the Dodgers were there, too.

As much as Friedman has been lauded—and honored here as Baseball America’s Major League Executive of the Year—for the Dodgers’ success that culminated with the 2020 World Series championship, his imprint was also evident on the Rays. He played a key role in transforming them from one of baseball’s worst franchises to an annual contender, starting with Tampa Bay’s surprising 2008 run to the World Series.

That the teams met on the field—albeit in the “bubble” of Arlington, Texas—for the World Series was something even Friedman admitted was surreal.

But that two teams he helped build were baseball’s best was not really a surprise.

“That’s who Andrew is—he's inclusive by nature, he's analytical by nature and he's passionate by nature,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten told the Tampa Bay Times.

“There are some things that he believes in that work, and he would be the same guy, no matter where he is. He would find the path that was necessary to achieve success. He did it there, he has done it here.”