When Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi came to the Dodgers after the 2014 season, the team was in ludicrously great shape.* They were coming off two straight NL West titles, the farm system was loaded, and the owners were willing to exceed the luxury tax as much as necessary in order to build a long-term winner.
*IN THE REGULAR SEASON
When Farhan Zaidi came to the Giants after the 2018 season, the ballpark had some very nice views.
So don’t think I’m arguing that there’s a Bellinger coming up from Sacramento tomorrow who’s going to carry the team for the next few years, or that Alex Dickerson is already that Bellinger, or that Alex Dickerson is actually better than Bellinger and Bellinger knows it and is ashamed that he’s even allowed to be an MVP frontrunner in a world where Alex Dickerson exists.