It’s OK to remain skeptical over the Dodgers hiring Andrew Friedman

Not to be a Billy Buzzkill, but am I the only one out there who remains unconvinced the Dodgers just nabbed the greatest general manager since Branch Rickey?

This isn’t intended as a knock on Andrew Friedman. He absolutely deserves the benefit of the doubt, but one can still believe there’s room for a reasonable amount of skepticism.

Yet the national and local media have been doing cartwheels in such unison since the hiring was announced, you’d think they were trying out for the U.S. rhythmic gymnastics team. Half expect him to walk into Friday’s news conference as rose petals are tossed at his feet.

Certainly he did a wonderful job in small-market, small-budget Tampa Bay. He was inventive and bright and all those things we keep hearing about. Bully for him.

It’s just that you have to wonder how much of that acumen translates to big-market, big-budget Los Angeles.

The Dodgers are on the opposite end of the baseball world from the Rays. They have the biggest payroll in the majors and are stocked with free-agent signings.

One person who worked with Friedman told The Times’ Dylan Hernandez that going from the Rays to the Dodgers is like a driver moving from NASCAR to open-wheel racing. It’s still racing, mostly.

I’m just not convinced how the things he did so well with the Rays will translate to the Dodgers. In Tampa Bay, Friedman became expert at trading a player for value just before he approached free agency.

The Dodgers sign key, expensive free agents or trade for players with huge contracts to fill holes. Quick, name the biggest free-agent deal Friedman has ever pulled off. Keep thinking, and see if you can top the three years and $21 million he gave James Loney last year.

Friedman will have to reinvent himself in Los Angeles. If he’s as bright as everyone claims, he’ll make the adjustment and excel here too. If he’s one more guy locked into Moneyball, just reference what happened to another bright analytics guy who failed here, Harvard-educated Paul DePodesta.

Friedman has to prove himself all over again here, and in a very different way. Success in quiet Tampa Bay, where expectations are minimal, are a world away from the bright lights of Los Angeles, where every year the Dodgers are expected to be in the World Series.

Here you win division titles in successive seasons and you get pushed aside for the latest baseball whiz kid. Benefit of the doubt, of course.