In being eliminated from the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers shifted their focus to the offseason at a much earlier date than the franchise has become accustomed to over the past several years.
That entails free agency, with the likes of Rich Hill, Russell Martin and Hyun-Jin Ryu due to reach the open market. David Freese was also part of that group but he announced his retirement after 11 seasons in the Majors.
The Dodgers have enjoyed the benefit of having a veteran leader in Chase Utley and Freese during recent years, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is not yet certain how that void will be filled.