CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ– The first official day of camp has arrived, and Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman was on hand to get a close-up look at the powerhouse lineup he’s assembled. Dave Roberts called it the “best Dodger team ever on paper.” Friedman wasn’t in the mood for such grand pronouncements on Tuesday, but he did sound very optimistic as he surveyed the horses he hopes to ride to a three-peat.
“We talk about this every day. The first day of spring, you know, the winter, it gets long and the walls start crashing down on you. You can’t wait to get outside,” Friedman said. “That being said, this year it feels like we played like six weeks ago. And so to get back together is crazy in a lot of ways, but just seeing the guys around the last week and the energy in camp already and the focus is exactly how you know we dreamt it up this offseason as we were putting stuff together.”
A big part of the conversation circled around Shohei Ohtani, especially with the World Baseball Classic right there on the calendar. Friedman said Ohtani has looked sharp on the mound so far, and then laid out the Dodgers’ plan: Ohtani is headed to the WBC as a DH, and the club expects him to be part of the major league rotation early.
“I mean, he looked really good today,” Friedman said. “And obviously, you know, it’s February and we’re going to be mindful of all of that with all of our guys, but no, I mean, with Sho, he’s going there (the WBC) to DH, he’s not going to pitch. We sat down and talked to him about it and just coming off the surgery, coming off the year he had, you know, pitching through October, just the quick turnaround at that kind of intensity coming off surgery and then obviously we have designs of playing through October this year, and Shohei being a big part of that on the mound.”
Friedman framed it as a long-view decision. The Dodgers want Ohtani pitching deep into seasons for a long time, and they’re trying to keep his path aligned with that. Friedman even hung a number on it today: both he and Shohei would like to see a good sustained run of pitching for the Dodgers.
“He wants to pitch for the next eight years, we want him to pitch for the next eight years, just trying to be really mindful of all of that,” Friedman said. “And so we sat down, had the conversation with him. He understood it. You know, the competitor in him doesn’t love it, but he understood it. And so we had a really good conversation about it, but for where he is right now, and we’ll continue, you know, his throwing progression, but not necessarily getting into games.”
He also sounded confident about the timeline. When asked if Ohtani could be in the rotation from the start of the season, Friedman couldn’t have been any clearer.
“I do,” he said simply.
As for how the Dodgers manage Ohtani’s workload over the full year, Friedman described it as structure mixed with constant adjustment. He talked about the uniqueness of Ohtani’s load, and how the staff has to stay flexible as the season unfolds.
“This year we will be less so,” Friedman said, comparing it to last year’s deliberate ramp-up, “but still mindful of it. It’s a heavy, heavy load that he takes on that is different from every other player in baseball. And so I think a lot of it is reading and reacting.”
He mapped out a path that starts with March, then builds toward game action, and eventually a more aggressive rhythm as the season gets deeper.
“I think through March having a throwing program and, you know, making sure he’s getting his ups and his arm’s in a good place and then we’ll hopefully get him into a freeway series game and then put him in our rotation,” Friedman said. “And then we’ll figure out from there kind of how we progress. Some of it is where he is at that point. But a lot of it is going to be reading and reacting based on how he’s feeling, how he’s recovering, what the load looks like.”
The Cy Young question came up too, and Friedman said the answer will take shape over time. He pointed to Ohtani’s mindset and the way things tend to go when Ohtani locks in on something.
“It’s hard to say, but I certainly wouldn’t bet against him,” Friedman said. “And the fact that he is saying that he seems like he’s on a mission pitching-wise and you know whenever we’ve seen him on a mission good things happen.”
He expanded on the pitching side, talking about the depth of Ohtani’s mix and the challenge of refining it while also living a completely different baseball schedule than everyone else.
“I think he’s incredibly talented on the mound. I think it’s a really, really deep mix,” Friedman said. “And you think about how split his days are in terms of time. You know, there are a lot of really talented pitchers who have all day every day to hone their craft. Sho obviously has to balance his time and be really thoughtful and deliberate about it.”
Friedman also addressed the WBC workload question for Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He talked about building them up through camp so they arrive in the tournament environment in the best possible place.
“Not really because I know them,” Friedman said, when asked about conversations about being mindful. “And I know that once, you know, the first pitch and Samurai Japan against Taiwan, I just know the level of intensity that they will have. And so it’s more just making sure the work up to this point that we’re putting them in the best positions to go take on that kind of intense atmosphere.”
He described the competitive edge those guys bring once the games start, and the focus on preparation rather than trying to change their approach in the moment.
“It is impossible to tell those guys to dial it back in any way and nor would I do that,” Friedman said.
When the conversation turned to the idea of Ohtani asking to pitch once the tournament begins, Friedman pointed to the communication and shared understanding with Team Japan.
“I don’t think so,” Friedman said. “I mean, I think we’ve talked to Samurai Japan. We’ve talked to Sho. I think everyone understands it.”
On day one, Friedman’s message came through: strong energy, strong focus, and a clear plan for one of the most unique players the sport has ever seen.
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