How the NL-winning Dodgers were built

The front office tandem of Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi were brought to Los Angeles in 2014 with aspirations of building a winner.

Three years later, the two architects of the 2017 National League pennant winners are four victories away from delivering the Los Angeles Dodgers' first World Series title since 1988.

Friedman and Zaidi have certainly benefited from operating with the largest payroll in Major League Baseball, and inherited some core pieces, but the two have built arguably the deepest roster in the majors.

Ahead of Game 1 of the World Series, here's a breakdown of how these Dodgers were built:

Homegrown

Kenley Jansen (Nov. 17, 2004): Signed as an amateur free-agent catcher, Jansen spent four minor-league seasons behind the plate before the Dodgers converted him to a pitcher. He eventually developed into an All-Star closer and re-signed for a five-year, $80-million contract in January.

Clayton Kershaw (June 6, 2006): The best pitcher of this generation slipped to the Dodgers at No. 7 in the draft. Kershaw has since accumulated the most WAR of his class, ahead of Evan Longoria, Max Scherzer, and Tim Lincecum.

Joc Pederson (June 8, 2010): Pederson was selected with the 352nd pick and is one of only two players drafted in the 11th round of 2010 to be named an All-Star (Adam Duvall).

Corey Seager (June 4, 2012): The Dodgers netted Seager with the 18th pick, after fellow shortstops Carlos Correa, Addison Russell, and Gavin Cecchini were all taken ahead of him.

Ross Stripling (June 5, 2012): Stripling was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2011, but did not sign. The Dodgers landed him the following year with the 176th pick, 15 slots behind now-teammate Chris Taylor, who went to the Seattle Mariners.

Yasiel Puig (June 29, 2012): Puig defected from Cuba and signed a seven-year, $42-million deal with the Dodgers. He was the third high-profile Cuban to sign in 2012, along with Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler.

Cody Bellinger (June 7, 2013): Bellinger was the fourth player the Dodgers selected in the 2013 draft, picking him at No. 124. The three players the Dodgers picked before - Chris Anderson, Tom Windle, and Brandon Dixon - have yet to reach the majors.

Free Agents

Justin Turner (Feb 6, 2014): After the New York Mets non-tendered Turner following the 2013 season, he agreed to a minor-league deal with the Dodgers. Turner developed into an All-Star third baseman, agreeing to a four-year, $64-million contract in December.

Charlie Culberson (Nov 19, 2015): Having struggled with both the Rockies and San Francisco Giants, Culberson joined his third NL West team when he agreed to a minor-league deal with the Dodgers in 2015. He's played in a reserve role, bouncing between the majors and minors.

Kenta Maeda (Jan 7, 2016): The Dodgers dipped into the international free-agent pool with an unusual, eight-year deal with Maeda. The right-hander had some irregularities during his physical, which resulted in an incentive-laden contract. Maeda could earn anywhere from $25 million to $106.2 million.

Brandon Morrow (Jan 26, 2017): Morrow was selected by the Mariners two picks before Kershaw in the 2006 draft. Injuries limited Morrow to 136 2/3 innings over the previous four seasons, resulting in a minor-league deal from the Dodgers.

Trades

Andre Ethier (Dec 13, 2005): The Dodgers traded a disgruntled Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to the Oakland Athletics for Ethier, who was in the minors at the time. Ethier would go on to make two All-Star appearances and hit 162 homers in Los Angeles. He'd also sign a $85-million extension in 2012.

Austin Barnes, Enrique Hernandez (Dec. 11, 2014): Despite an All-Star season in which he hit 12 triples and stole 64 bases, the Dodgers traded Dee Gordon along with Dan Haren, Miguel Rojas, and cash to the Miami Marlins for Barnes, Hernandez, Chris Hatcher, and Andrew Heaney.

Yasmani Grandal (Dec. 18, 2014): Following nine seasons in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers shipped Matt Kemp south to the San Diego Padres along with Tim Federowicz for Grandal, Zach Eflin, and Joe Wieland. The Dodgers also kicked in $32 million in cash to cover part of Kemp's deal.

Alex Wood (July 30, 2015): In one of the biggest trades in major league history in terms of moving parts, Wood was sent to the Dodgers in a three-team deal that featured 13 players. Bronson Arroyo, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan, Jose Peraza, Mat Latos, and Michael Morse also went to Los Angeles, while Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, and Zachary Bird went to the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, Kevin Guzman, Jeff Brigham, and Victor Araujo went to Miami.

Chase Utley (Aug 19, 2015): After 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, Utley was traded to Los Angeles for minor-leaguers John Richy and Darnell Sweeney. Utley later signed back-to-back one-year deals to remain with the Dodgers.

Chris Taylor (June 19, 2016): Taylor failed to catch on in Seattle and was traded for right-hander Zach Lee. Taylor hit 21 homers for the Dodgers this season and was named co-NLCS MVP, while Lee never pitched in the majors for the Mariners and was waived.

Josh Fields (Aug 1, 2016): Fields had struggled in four seasons in Houston before the Astros traded him to the Dodgers for minor-leaguer Yordan Alvarez. Fields became a dependable part of the Los Angeles 'pen in 2017, posting a 2.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 57 appearances.

Rich Hill (Aug 1, 2016): The Dodgers landed the coveted veteran starter they needed at the deadline when they got Hill. They also received outfielder Josh Reddick from the Athletics for Grant Holmes, Jharel Cotton, and Frankie Montas. While Reddick left in free agency, Hill re-signed a three-year, $48-million deal.

Logan Forsythe (Jan 23, 2017): In need of a second baseman and a top of the order bat, the Dodgers acquired Forsythe for top pitching prospect Jose De Leon. Forsythe was limited to 119 games due to injuries this season.

Tony Cingrani (July 31, 2017): Despite struggling out of the Reds bullpen, the Dodgers acquired the left-hander at the deadline for Hendrik Clementina and Scott Van Slyke. Cingrani has been much better with a change of scenery, and has thrown four scoreless appearances in the postseason.

Tony Watson (July 31, 2017): Watson is another reliever landed at the deadline that has given the Dodger bullpen a major boost. Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor leaguers Angel German and Oniel Cruz, Watson posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 24 relief appearances.

Yu Darvish (July 31, 2017): The Dodgers traded for the four-time All-Star just minutes before the non-waiver trade deadline, with the impending free agent costing Los Angeles minor-league prospects A.J. Alexy, Brendon Davis, and Willie Calhoun. Darvish has been excellent during Los Angeles' postseason run, going 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in two starts.

Curtis Granderson (Aug 19, 2017): Granderson was added from the Mets for Jacob Rhame in order to get another veteran bat on the roster. Granderson, who spent the previous eight years in New York with the Mets and Yankees, hit a grand slam in his third game with the Dodgers.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)