At the end of the Star Wars prequel series, Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine shows his new apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned half-man-half-machine Darth Vader, his creation — a super-weapon called the Death Star. At that point, the destructive weapon that could wipe out an entire planet with the push of a button was not, in fact, a finished product. What makes the Los Angeles Dodgers so scary is that their organization is pristine. They are the Death Star at its height, except there isn't an open exhaust port on the lightly-secured exterior that could destroy the whole thing in one blast. And, most importantly, there is no Luke Skywalker on the way.
If anything, the man pictured in the cover image above would have and should've been this baseball generation's Skywalker, and not the one who went bad far too young. Ohtani was a free agent in the winter of 2023. At that time, he was just 29 years old, and inked a 10-year, $700 million contract that is guaranteed to age well, as Ohtani is the best player in the sport and most of that money is deferred. Unlike Ohtani, Skywalker was just 19 years old when he blew up the Death Star, rather than joining his father in the dark side of the force.
What makes the original Star Wars series such a productive and, frankly, repeatable format is the existence of rebels. Without Luke, Leia and Han, the entire series falls apart. In similar fashion to America in 2025, there's no opposition. It's just Palpatine and the Empire doing whatever they want, and the end result is few planets to live on, a disastrous economy and little to root for.
Unfortunately for 29 other MLB teams, this is the reality they chose. While the Dodgers have the best organization in baseball top to bottom, much of the current team was assembled just as any other would be — by out-bidding and out-playing their competition in free agency, the draft and trades. In that sense, the contenders who lost to LA along the way are just as guilty. Think about this article the next time you demand a salary cap in professional baseball.
How the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki
Let's start from the top. Each of these free agents has a different story. While Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki all came from Japan, the Dodgers benefitted greatly from placing early roots there and most of Asia almost a decade before most MLB teams had a presence to speak of. That is not the Dodgers fault, but rather forward-thinking. The Dodgers are Asia's favorite team, mostly due to exposure. LA recruited Ohtani from a young age and never really left, presenting their case to Yamamoto and Sasaki far before they were eligible to sign.
Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani bet on himself when he signed with the Angels back in 2017. Because he was so young, he could only sign a minor-league deal, thus assuming he would outkick his coverage once he became a free agent at age 29. As it turns out, Ohtani was smart to do so, but there is a clear culprit when looking at what went wrong leading into free agency for 28 other teams.
The Angels had Ohtani under contract for years. He had some of his best seasons with Anaheim, including an AL MVP and Rookie of the Year award. Arte Moreno and the Angels could have approached him during his injury-plagued seasons back in 2019 or even 2020, and signed him to a favorable long-term contract. Instead, Perry Minasian put Ohtani in a box and assumed his two-way career wouldn't work out long term. Little did the Angels executives know Ohtani would improve both facets of his game and earn (at the time) the largest contract in baseball history with their city rival. They also didn't trade him at the deadline in his contract year, which would've given another team with the belief and financial ability a chance to negotiate with Ohtani exclusively.
Why did Shohei Ohtani sign with the Dodgers? The Angels
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Oh, where do we start. Of all the Japanese free agents the Dodgers have signed since Ohtani, Yamamoto gave his other suitors the best chance. Yamamoto eventually inked a deal with Los Angeles because they offered the most money. It really was that simple. Since, it's been revealed the New York Yankees had a very real chance to sign Yamamoto had they broken a few simple norms.
The Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman thought Yamamoto was only worth $300 million (at most) so they didn't offer a dime more. The Dodgers eventually signed Yamamoto at $325 million. Per Jon Heyman, the Yankees also didn't want to give Yamamoto a bigger payday than their ace at the time, Gerrit Cole. As productive as Cole has been in the Bronx, it's silly to assume he'd be upset if Yamamoto made more money than him, especially if doing so gave the Yankees a better chance to win.
Why did Yoshinobu Yamamoto sign with the Dodgers? The Yankees
Roki Sasaki
Sasaki entered the MLB free agent market as a top prospect. Essentially, any team that signed the young Japanese hurler was getting a pitcher far wiser than his years who needed some polishing. That's a loaded sentence, but stick with me. Sasaki had pitched professionally prior to signing with the Dodgers, but it was expected he'd need some time in the minor leagues to adjust to major-league hitters, or something close to it. Signing Sasaki last winter was like adding a cherry on top of the best cake you've ever eaten. Except, in this case, the Dodgers always have the cake and eat it right in front of you.
The Dodgers signing Sasaki was the breaking point for many baseball fans, especially those in small-market cities. That being said, it should be noted that the only reason LA was able to land Sasaki is thanks to their influence overseas. Every MLB team should have access to those resources. Sasaki's decision came down to the Blue Jays, Padres and Dodgers. Toronto finished second, in theory, but I blame the Padres on this one if only because Sasaki's idol, Yu Darvish, is literally on their roster. They are also a perennial little brother to the Dodgers.
The Padres had all the resources to sign Sasaki, as well as a Japanese baseball idol to help in recruiting. It still wasn't enough.
Why did Roki Sasaki sign with the Dodgers? The Padres didn't try hard enough
Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw were there for the taking
The rest of the Dodgers rotation, which could win its second-straight World Series, is made up of a mix of new stars and familiar faces. All of these players could have landed elsewhere, but instead were picked up by the Dodgers because they are the most well-run organization in baseball. Blake Snell was signed as a free agent, Tyler Glasnow was acquired via trade, and Clayton Kershaw, the future Hall of Famer, was selected a long time ago behind players who floundered out of MLB quickly. We'll get to all three.
Blake Snell
The Dodgers signed Blake Snell to the third-highest contract in MLB history for a left-handed pitcher. Snell had a miserable start the regular season prior, but in 14 starts from early July to late September, he had a 1.23 ERA with 114 strikeouts and 30 walks. Snell was clearly establishing himself as a Cy Young frontrunner in the years to come, but the Giants let him walk. Sure, asking the Giants to match the Dodgers' five-year, $182 million was a bit much, but considering the two teams are indeed rivals, San Francisco has no one but themselves to blame.
Why did Blake Snell sign with the Dodgers? The Giants
Tyler Glasnow
The Dodgers acquired former Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow in the winter of 2023. It was tough to blame the small-market Rays for dealing Glasnow to Los Angeles at the time, as he had struggled to stay healthy despite showing glimpses of brilliance. It should come as no surprise that Andrew Friedman found the positives in Glasnow, and the Dodgers' pitcher development program was able to do the rest. However, the failure to promote and develop Glasnow into an ace does not fall on the Rays. Instead, it is the Pirates, who initially drafted Glasnow, that failed and included him in the brutal Chris Archer deal. Glasnow could've been the ace the Pirates needed. Instead, he's a Dodger, much like Paul Skenes may one day become.
Who's to blame for the Tyler Glasnow trade? The Pirates
Clayton Kershaw
I'll admit this is a deep cut. The Dodgers drafted Clayton Kershaw, their future Hall-of-Fame ace, with the seventh-overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft. That means six teams passed on Kershaw, and couldn't have been more wrong to do so.
Pick | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
1 | Royals | Luke Hochevar |
2 | Rockies | Greg Reynolds |
3 | Rays | Evan Longoria |
4 | Pirates | Brad Lincoln |
5 | Mariners | Brandon Morrow |
6 | Tigers | Andrew Miller |
7 | Dodgers | Clayton Kershaw |
In hindsight, many of these picks are bad ones, and don't remotely compare to Kershaw. As much as I hate to pick on one single team, the Pirates blew it once again. Lincoln failed to amount to anything in the major leagues, and Pittsburgh was in on Kershaw prior to the draft. The Pirates were hardly alone, but didn't want to take a chance on a high-school hurler like Kershaw. They ended up regretting it.
Who's to blame for Clayton Kershaw's Dodgers career? The Pirates
Best of the lineup: Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez
Three of the Dodgers best hitters — both in the regular season and postseason — were acquired from other teams. None of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts or Teoscar Hernandez had any intention of signing with the Los Angeles superteam in free agency or forcing a trade to the West Coast. Yet, here we are. They serve the empire, while the rest of us are left figuring out how to blow up the Death Star.
Freddie Freeman
Freeman was meant to be an Atlanta Brave for life. He was Chipper Jones to the Braves fanbase after Jones retired. Yet, when he became a free agent after the 2021 season, the Braves refused to give him the extra year on his deal that he desired. As a result, Freeman took less AAV (courtesy of then-agent Casey Close) for a six-year contract. Braves fans were devastated, as Freeman helped Atlanta defeat the Dodgers and win the World Series just a year prior. Freeman signed with the enemy, and even struggled to get over his Braves exit the next season.
Eventually, Freeman earned his stripes as a Dodger. He hit a game-winning grand slam in the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees, and won World Series MVP as a result. However, had the Braves and Alex Anthopoulos offered Freeman the extra year he wanted from the jump, he never would've been in a position to aid the Dodgers dynasty.
Why did the Dodgers sign Freddie Freeman? The Braves
Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts was a homegrown talent for the Boston Red Sox. He helped Boston win the 2018 World Series and was a former MVP at the time of his trade. Boston had little reason to send Betts anywhere, but were fearful of what he might cost when he reached free agency. That's a common theme with most of this Dodgers superteam — they either acquired players in free agency, or added stars nearing the end of their respective contracts.
The difference between Betts and the others is that the Red Sox are not a small-market team, but operated like one. Chaim Bloom was ultimately responsible for trading Betts elsewhere, and he'll be a villain in Boston forever as a result. But he wasn't making the decisions. John Henry and Fenway Sports Group didn't want to pay Betts what he was worth. Ultimately, the Dodgers signed Mookie to a 12-year, $365 million deal, which looks like a bargain compared to contracts signed by Ohtani and more around baseball since.
Who's to blame for the Dodgers adding Mookie Betts? The Red Sox
Teoscar Hernandez
In November 2022, the Toronto Blue Jays traded star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners for a package of prospects. Hernandez had his best season in Toronto in 2021, accumulating 3.5 WAR and hitting 32 home runs paired with 116 RBIs. He was, by most accounts, one of the most productive sluggers in the majors who was well worth the money he would've received in arbitration coming off a silver slugger season.
What happened from there is predictable. By now, you know how this story goes. Hernandez left Seattle after the 2023 season and signed a prove-it deal with the Dodgers. He put up incredible numbers at Chavez Ravine, hitting 33 home runs with a 4.3 WAR. He was an All-Star and Los Angeles won the World Series, thus they signed him to a contract extension.
Unfortunately for the Jays, this all goes back to their decision to let Hernandez go in the first place. Yes, Teo's $14 million arbitration tag would've cost them a pretty penny, but he was also well worth the price tag, especially if it kept him from the dynastic Dodgers.
Why did the Dodgers sign Teoscar Hernandez? The Blue Jays
Conclusion: Dodgers Death Star was built with plenty of help
The Dodgers have built baseball's Death Star. Yet, much like Anakin Skywalker in Episode III of this iconic series, there were plenty of co-conspirators which pushed this iconic franchise towards darkness. Whether it be the league as a whole, which hasn't done remotely enough to punish its small-market owners who have enough money to field a competitive team but choose not to, or those very owners who pushed their once-proud star players to a new organization, Friedman and the Dodgers didn't have to do nearly as much convincing as the Sith Lord Palpatine to force baseball into this era of darkness.
As a result, Los Angeles has its super-weapon. The Dodgers' current roster has its weaknesses, but they are by no means easy to identify. When the Dodgers lineup and pitching staff play to the best of their abilities, they have no rival, no opponent which can find its thermal exhaust port. In this case, the Dodgers' Death Star plans have yet to be delivered to the rebel base. Heck, the rebels might be working for the Dodgers, for all we know.
What made the original Star Wars trilogy so great was the existence of a clear hero and villain. In professional sports, especially baseball, the lines have been blurred. The Dodgers are just trying to win baseball games. May the force be with them, always.