'First class': Dodgers wowed by new clubhouse

This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen's Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Over the weekend, star first baseman Freddie Freeman had a new locker neighbor in the Dodgers' clubhouse: his oldest son, Charlie.

Charlie's temporary locker -- which is usually unoccupied -- even had a personalized nameplate, complete with his dad's No. 5 on the left side and a headshot of a beaming Charlie on the right. Freeman had set it up as a special surprise.

"An 8-year-old face when he saw that today," Freeman said, "that made it all worth it."

It was largely made possible by the extensive renovations that the Dodgers made to their home clubhouse and player facilities ahead of the 2025 season. The clubhouse space is bigger, but there's also upgraded technology all around, including with the locker nameplates, which are digital -- making it easier to accommodate new faces, or special guests.

But the clubhouse itself is just the tip of the iceberg. It's part of a three-level complex that is mostly closed to the media. Judging from the reactions of players and staff, though, the new space is something special.

"It’s insane. It’s humongous. It’s really crazy," right-hander Tyler Glasnow said. "Everything’s really nice. … All the workers, too, I don’t know how they did that so quick. It was so much stuff, and they did it in however many months that was. Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to get done, but we walked in and everything was ready to go."

Because of the Dodgers' deep postseason run that resulted in the eighth World Series title in franchise history, there was a tight timeline from roughly November to late March to get the work done. The team's many offseason press conferences to introduce new players at Dodger Stadium provided incremental visual updates on how the renovations were going, but it was difficult to see what was happening beyond the almost unrecognizable surface of the playing field.

But when the Dodgers played at their home ballpark for the first time this year -- on March 23, the opener of the Freeway Series exhibitions -- Dodger Stadium looked just about unchanged from the previous season.

Notably, the Dodgers made massive stadium renovations ahead of the 2013 season that included much-needed upgrades to the home clubhouse. The space has become much more modern since then, although only one active Dodgers player has seen its evolution since those days.

"The old old clubhouse," left-hander Clayton Kershaw said. "Yeah, it’s come a long way. I didn’t think the new old one was that bad. This one is impressive. No detail spared. It’s been fun to see. I’m pretty disoriented. I don’t know where I’m going half the time."

Given that the Dodgers invested heavily in improving their on-field product for the second straight offseason, ensuring that their top-end roster had access to state-of-the-art facilities was the logical next step.

Dodger Stadium may be the third-oldest active ballpark in Major League Baseball, behind only Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, but the venue hides its age well in its 64th season hosting Dodgers baseball. That's due in part to its timeless appearance, but it's also because the ballpark spaces have evolved with the times.

Now, the players have an upgraded space that's well-suited to help them realize their lofty team aspirations in 2025 and beyond.

"This clubhouse has come a long way, certainly since 23 years ago when I played here," manager Dave Roberts said. "They just get it right. Ownership, Stan [Kasten] and his staff and everyone, the vision, Janet Marie Smith. And you're also looking at eight months of a project that essentially should have taken two years.

"Under the hood … the clubhouse, the other stuff, it just all makes sense. It's cavernous, it's functional, and it's just first class. Everything is first class."