It has been almost a week since the Los Angeles Dodgers were routinely dispatched of by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series, leaving fans a little time to process another gut-wrenching end to their MLB season. After the grieving period ends, focus will shift to the offseason. There is one mission that stands above all for the LA faithful.

Sign superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani. While the Dodgers are considered the favorite to land the expected 2023 American League MVP, they will be locked in a tense pursuit with multiple other ambitious teams who are hungry for the transcendent star power and massive revenue the Los Angeles Angels slugger/ace can instantly provide.

But the organization cannot show its cards just yet. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman played it coy when asked about the possibility of adding Ohtani this winter. “Who?” he quipped, according to Noah Camras of Dodgers Nation. Friedman did eventually touch on the matter, reiterating that “he can't talk about specific players but said he's confident the team next year will have strong championship aspirations.”

The entire baseball world expects the Dodgers to aggressively go after Shohei Ohtani, especially after falling short in the postseason for the second-straight year versus a divisional foe. Imagine pairing the Japanese juggernaut with two potential Hall of Famers in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Throw in catcher Will Smith, and that is arguably the most terrifying top part of a lineup ever to be constructed in the modern era.

Andrew Friedman is surely salivating over such a possibility. He just can't admit it quite yet.