Dodgers News: Andrew Friedman Feels Current Roster 'Every Bit as Talented' as 2017 Team

Andrew Friedman thinks this team is as talented as the 2017 Dodgers.

People wonder if the 2023 Dodgers have as much talent as the 2017 Dodgers who went to the World Series and lost to the cheating Houston Astros in 7 games. According to Andrew Friedman, they do.

In a wide ranging conversation on "The Show" podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, Friedman again addressed the differences between this current club and the 111 win team from 2022. In summary, the team's success this year isn't all that surprising to the LA exec.

"We talked about this a lot this last offseason. We felt like the public narrative of this (team) was overblown. That this team was really, really good team. I think if you're comparing any team to our 2022 team, it's not going to look as good. My guess is that will be the most talented team I'm ever around in my career but that's not necessarily the standard. We felt that this team was every bit as talented as the 2017, 2018 Dodgers."

During last offseason when the Dodgers continually passed up on big-name free agents, many baseball pundits wondered if the Dodgers were rebuilding and trying to get under the luxury tax threshold, so they could prepare to sign Shohei Ohtani.

The 2022-2023 offseason didn’t have many good free agents unless teams wanted a shortstop or Aaron Judge. The Dodgers didn’t want to commit to ten or more years for a shortstop, and they had a great right fielder named Mookie Betts.

Therefore, the Dodgers went for lesser known free agents with great character. Aside from Noah Syndergaard, every free agent has worked out well performing above expectations. The Dodgers have developed good clubhouse chemistry, and they have a great chance to go to the World Series because they don’t give up on winning the game no matter how hopeless it looks. 

The 2017 Dodger club was every bit of a character team that had the right mesh of star power, young talent, and veteran role players who came together to win 106 games in the regular season and fall one win short of winning the World Series against the cheating Houston Astros. 

As this current team enters the postseason this year, it could be an exciting time for Dodgers fans deep into October.