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Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman Defends Deferrals Amid Backlash: ‘Kind of a Lazy Narrative’

The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued to add star power to the roster using deferrals. The organization’s methods have angered many baseball fans, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman defended the decision to defer some contracts.

“I think we’re rewarding our incredibly passionate fans,” Friedman said.

The Dodgers’ biggest splash of the winter was the signing of starting pitcher Blake Snell, whose contract also included deferrals. Most notably, 97 percent of Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract was deferred.

“I think the Shohei one is just jarring to people because it’s so different, and I think the others just unfairly get lumped into that,” Friedman said.