Report: Los Angeles Dodgers Give Andrew Friedman Record Deal
By Ed Carroll
The Los Angeles Dodgers and their new president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, have reportedly agreed to a record-setting deal for MLB executives, five years and $35-million dollars.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported this morning some of the early details of the contract between the Los Angeles Dodgers and their new top executive, Andrew Friedman, who left the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month, and if Olney’s report is correct, the Dodgers made it worth Friedman’s while to move west:
Not surprisingly, Andrew Friedman's deal with the Dodgers is record-setting: from sources, $35 million over 5 years, plus incentives.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 24, 2014
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It was generally assumed throughout MLB that while Friedman wasn’t necessarily married to the Rays and willing to listen to offers, he was happy in Tampa Bay and would need to have been convinced to leave. This contract seems to support those assumptions, as a $7 million per year would be a record for an MLB executive.
It might seem excessive for a baseball club to pay so much for a GM, but Friedman has proven to be one of MLB’s best while with the Rays, and $35 million across five years is pennies to the Dodgers right now. In addition, there have been some recent research findings that most MLB general managers are indeed underpaid for what they bring to their clubs, so perhaps the Dodgers figured they’d open the checkbook for one of baseball’s best, while still not paying him what he really might be worth.
Regardless of the market, it’s a terrific deal for Friedman, who now will have a large payroll to work with, but this also means the pressure is on for him to turn the Dodgers back into MLB champions.
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