The Dodgers finally demoted Ned Colletti as GM on Tuesday and announced that former Tampa Bay Rays executive Andrew Friedman was taking over as president of baseball operations. Even though the announcement of Colletti’s demotion was not made until this week, it seems like the Dodgers knew this was a direction they were heading.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Dodgers ownership prevented Colletti from adjusting the bullpen during the season and would not allow him to trade several prospects.
From The Times:
Colletti was prevented by ownership from making any midseason adjustments to the bullpen, people familiar with the situation said. Top prospects Corey Seager, Julio Urias and Joc Pederson were labeled as untouchable by President Stan Kasten. So were some mid-tier prospects, including Zach Lee, a former first-round pick whose development has stalled.
Well that sure explains why they were unable to swing a deal for David Price, who ended up in Detroit.
The Dodgers brass probably lost confidence in Colletti’s ability to properly build a bullpen after the ex-GM spent $22.5 million on Brandon League and $18.5 million on Brian Wilson to disappointing results. Many of Colletti’s other bullpen moves such as bringing in Chris Perez and Jamey Wright did not fare well, either.
During the Frank McCourt era, Colletti was handcuffed by budget constraints. This season, he was handcuffed by ownership’s lack of faith in his decisions. I guess the one good thing about not having much money to spend is it prevents you from signing players to bad contracts.
