Andrew Friedman: Dodgers Spent More Aggressive Than Planned

The signing of Freddie Freeman in 2022 marked a turning point for the Los Angeles Dodgers as aggressive free agency spenders. The six-year, $162 million contract awarded to Freeman was the largest free agent contract in team history at the time.

That has escalated over the past three offseason cycles, with the Dodgers handing out massive contracts to Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Kyle Tucker, Edwin Díaz, and Tanner Scott.

The increase in spending began as a commitment made to Ohtani during his contract negotiations. He agreed to defer all but $2 million of his annual salary with the understanding that the Dodgers would use the savings to continue adding elite talent around…