The Golden Age of the Dodgers? It’s hard to argue

The world according to Jim:

• Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this on the field at Yankee Stadium late Wednesday night after the team completed the World Series. with his incredible comeback in game five from a 5-0 deficit: This is the “golden era of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball.”

It’s hard to argue with that. In fact, anyone who remembers the shape the franchise was in on May 1, 2012, when Mark Walter and his Guggenheim Baseball Group took over from Frank McCourt will consider this an obvious statement. …

• Remember, McCourt’s payroll philosophy, as quoted in Molly Knight ESPN Magazine deconstructing his divorce from Jamiesounded like this: “This is not the AL East. Why would I spend $150 million to win 98 games when I can spend half that to win 90 if that’s all it takes to make the playoffs in our division?” …

• Under current ownership, of course, the Dodgers have made the postseason 12 times in a row, including 11 (including this year) as National League West champions. Also consider that there could have been 13, but the 2012 team was eliminated from playoff contention on the penultimate day of the season. …

• As for the current state of payroll, Cot’s Baseball Contracts lists the final figure for luxury tax purposes at $270.6 million, the second-highest in baseball. The teams they faced in the postseason were No. 3 (Padres$242.9 million), No. 4 (Yankees, $237.1 million) and No. 11 (Metz$183.7 million).

The Phillies were in first place with $281.5 million. they were eliminated by the Mets in the Division Series. So be careful telling us how the Dodgers “bought the championship.” Bottom line: Do you want owners who are trying to win and care about winning the World Series or not? …

• It’s another reminder of how lucky SoCal fans are to have teams and owners who are hungry to win championships and are willing to do whatever it takes rather than hoard resources like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and other cities do:

Kyle Goon, who wrote about the Lakers’ victories for the publication before returning home to become a sports columnist for the Baltimore Banner website, remembers embracing the Dodgers as a fan while he was here in as his second team. And this week he wrote about the disconnect between following a team that has its sights set on the World Series every year and following a team—like his hometown Orioles— which alternates between boom and bust cycles and has narrow windows for victory. …

• What’s next for the Dodgers? From here, there are three tasks that need to be taken care of quickly.

First, they need to re-sign Teoscar Hernandez, a guy who has provided productivity on the field and an energetic presence in the clubhouse. In an interview with KABC/Channel 7 on Friday, I was asked if the Dodgers should pursue Juan Soto. Yes, a difficult choice, but my answer was simple. Teoscar bet on himself by signing a one-year deal, he won big, and the Dodgers need to repay that by bringing him back.

(The way a fan reacted when he was introduced on Friday moved him to tears. Re-signing him may be management’s most popular decision.)

Second, re-sign Walker Buehler, who is also a free agent. He may not be back from Tommy John surgery yet, but we can see it from here. It was only fitting that he wore a 1988 Eagle Hershiser jersey in this celebration, given his Bulldog performance to end Game 5. And as Buehler continues to reinvent himself as a pitcher, it needs to happen here.

Third? Extension for Dave Roberts. Do it now. Don’t let him be a failed manager. And forget about the critics. The man could very well be on his way to Cooperstown as a manager, in which case he better have a nameplate with Los Angeles intertwined on his cap. …

• More on Roberts: Only three managers in the history of the franchise, founded in 1883, have won World Series championships. Walter Alston won four (1955, ’59, ’63 and ’65). Tom Lasorda won two (’81 and ’88). And now Roberts also has two (and one should also be there from 2017, but there’s no need to go there now).

“It’s humiliating,” Roberts said when it came up after Game 5. “I never thought I would be part of a conversation like this. I’m part of a great organization, I have a lot of great people supporting me, and we’ve won a lot of ball games. This is what I really wanted. I wanted this one.

“There were a few guys that were here with me in ’20 and you hear some naysayers, so we didn’t get that parade that I talked about last week. I’m proud of a lot of the guys. The list of players who put me in this position goes on.” …

• In 120 World Series, only 22 managers have won multiple championships, led by the Yankees’ Joe McCarthy and Casey Stengel with seven each. Roberts became the 12th trainer with two wins. (In case you’re wondering, Tony La Russa, Sparky Anderson, John McGraw and Miller Huggins have won three, so Roberts has something to strive for.) …