As the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. In the case of the Los Angeles Dodgers, you have to spend money to ensure that you can become the first MLB team to win consecutive World Series titles in over 25 years.
Saturday’s thrilling 5-4, 11-inning victory over the Toronto Blue Jays further justified the Dodgers’ recent heavy spending. Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a 12-year, $325 million deal after the 2023 season, recorded the last out on zero days' rest and earned World Series MVP honors. Shohei Ohtani, he of the 10-year, $700 million contract, led the Dodgers with a .333 average, three homers, and a 1.278 OPS. Veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has two seasons left on his six-year, $162 million deal, ended an 18-inning Game 3 showdown with a walk-off home run.
Yet, there are plenty of teams leaguewide that will look at the Dodgers’ recent spending, shrug their shoulders, and not even consider following in their footsteps. Not only did the Dodgers’ $240 million payroll lead baseball, but they spent over $200 million more than three teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates ($31.1 million), Baltimore Orioles ($25.4 million), and Miami Marlins ($22.3 million). Only 17 of the league’s 30 teams fielded at least an $80 million payroll, a jarring and concerning sight ahead of a potential lockout following the 2026 season — and that could very well be what forces a work stoppage.
First things first, we need to establish that this is purely speculative. Although there have been rumors about a lockout, there have been no credible updates of late that a work stoppage is anywhere close to guaranteed. With that said, there have repeatedly been discussions about a salary floor and salary cap; owners, including the Colorado Rockies’ Dick Monfort (who also serves as chair of the league’s labor committee), have publicly advocated for a cap. Players, headlined by Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper, have pushed back against such an idea.
A salary cap or salary floor still won’t prevent an MLB lockout
Sports are better when there is every indication that teams are actually attempting to win. For as bad as the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and Jacksonville Jaguars usually are, at least they spend in free agency and occasionally make an aggressive trade. It’s better to try and fail rather than not try at all, at least with regard to team building and player development.
A salary cap isn’t the answer in baseball because it doesn’t force the Pirates or Rays to spend in free agency. No one is saying that Pittsburgh needs to offer Alex Bregman a six-year, $150 million contract. But what’s stopping them from spending $50 million this offseason without a salary cap or floor?
It’s also worth reiterating that Manfred works for the owners, and Manfred cannot mandate a team spend in free agency without a salary floor — and even then, the Pirates might prefer to add eight mediocre players on cheap one-year deals rather than two or three players who grade well analytically and, at least on paper, make their team better.
There’s often a misconception in sports that no notable players will sign with bad organizations … except even recent baseball history proves that’s not the case. Kris Bryant was a former NL MVP who signed with the Colorado Rockies in 2022 because they were willing to pay him what he wanted: a seven-year, $182 million contract. It’s not Bryant’s fault that injuries, including back problems, have limited him to 170 games over four years.
Has the Dodgers’ heavy spending ruined baseball?
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the club’s critics after the NLCS, quipping that their continued winning is “ruining baseball.” A glance at social media shows fans agreeing, though their anger isn’t understandably solely directed at the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have spent years doing what every team should do: spend where appropriate in hopes of landing the sport’s best players. Yes, it’s easy to compete for a title when you have Shohei Ohtani, but the Angels never came close when they had Ohtani and a still-healthy Mike Trout.
You can’t fault the teams that spend lavishly to make the playoffs and regularly do so. True, the Yankees have only won a single pennant in the Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gerrit Cole era, but they’ve only missed the postseason once. The Braves, who fielded a $213 million payroll this year, earned a playoff berth every year from 2018 through 2024.
If you’re going to direct your frustration at anyone, then blame organizations like the Rays, Pirates, Athletics, and Marlins. Those franchises made a decision long ago that they wouldn’t spend in free agency if they didn’t need to, and other teams followed them. Why should the Tigers ($62.3 million in payroll) and the Guardians ($46.3 million) bother in free agency if they’ve proven they can win with lower budgets?
If and when the next lockout comes, then point a finger at those teams. They’re the ones that have put baseball at risk of another work stoppage, not a franchise that has done everything right.