Contrary to popular belief, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not ruining baseball, but they are breaking the bank. The Dodgers are set to surpass the luxury tax threshold quite easily as they chase a threepeat. With the holiday season officially here, the Dodgers have already received the gift of multiple World Series trophies and free agents like Edwin Diaz under the tree.
Rather than Dodgers owner Mark Walter, who knows no bounds when it comes to giving his front office the resources to succeed, it's the bottom-of-the-barrel ownership groups that are actually killing this sport. A lockout is looking more likely by the day thanks to cheap billionaires like Tom Ricketts and Bob Nutting, who call for a salary cap each and every year despite having a lifestyle money can certainly buy. It's about time these owners got what was coming to them.
Chris Ilitch, Detroit Tigers
The Little Caesars empire is done burning cash. Under Chris' father, Mike, the Detroit Tigers ranked among the top payrolls in baseball. Ilitch wanted his beloved Tigers to win a World Series prior to his passing in 2017. While that never came to pass, it's alarming to see just how quickly his son Chris has pivoted from that business approach.
The Tigers have the best pitcher on the planet in Tarik Skubal under contract. If Ilitch were willing to spend as much as his father, perhaps they'd have a chance to extend Skubal, who is beloved in the Motor City and already one of the best pitchers in franchise history. Instead, a trade is likely, with the big spenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets at the forefront of trade discussions.
Detroit made the ALDS last season. Their World Series window is wide open. Instead of taking advantage of a weak AL Central, Detroit could take a step back this winter by trading their best player. None of it makes sense.
Why is Ilitch on the naughty list? Tarik Skubal trade rumors
Paul Dolan, Cleveland Guardians
Dolan's Guardians made the postseason last season, and are a mid-market behemoth. Despite all the odds placed against them, including a low payroll, the Guardians compete for a playoff spot year-in and year-out. Jose Ramirez, the Guardians best player, is tired of it. Ramirez made it clear this winter that Cleveland broke a promise to him when he signed his team-friendly extension.
"Things are going to change for the 2028 extension talks.," Ramirez said. "The General Manager didn’t do what we talked about back then. They were supposed to take advantage of my discount and build a team to win."
For most well-run organizations, that would be a wakeup call. Instead, Cleveland has doubled down on their small-market approach this offseason and seems reluctant to make any big changes ahead of a likely lockout they helped cause.
Why is Dolan on the naughty list? Betraying Jose Ramirez
John Fisher, Athletics
Does this man even need an introduction? Fisher, heir to the Walmart fortune, took a beloved fanbase and relocated them to Sacramento. Yes, the A's needed a new ballpark in Oakland, but that shouldn't force ownership to up and leave. Fisher had several options on the table, one of which should've been spending his own money on a new stadium fitting of an MLB team, but instead chose to play in a minor-league park and eventually dip to the gambling capital of the United States.
To make matters worse, the Athletics increased their payroll the second they left Oakland after years of putting a subpar product on the field. Oakland fans were dying for that kind of commitment, but Fisher waited until the second he forced his way out to give the A's a fighting chance in the AL West.
Fisher had a chance to be a martyr in Oakland. The Raiders left, and the Warriors play across the Bay these days. The Athletics could've been Oakland's team, and for a brief period of time they were. Instead, he became just the latest billionaire to leave town unnecessarily.
Why is John Fisher on the naughty list? Moving the Athletics
Pohlad family, Minnesota Twins
The Pohlads mortgaged the Twins future for a shiny new stadium. They have since admitted that lowering payroll after last winning the AL Central in 2023 was a huge mistake. I could've told them that at the time, as could the majority of their fanbase.
While Twins fans gained some hope when the Pohlads put the franchise up for sale last season, it turns out that was all a clever ploy, as well. Sike! The Pohlad family is here to stay, and rapidly lowering payroll by dealing away assets from what was once a talented team. Byron Buxton loves Minnesota and doesn't want to play anywhere else, but he's available. Joe Ryan, a starting pitcher with ace potential and multiple years left on his deal, could also be sent packing this winter.
In similar fashion to Ilitch and Dolan, what makes the Twins strategy even more insulting is that they play in one of more winnable divisions in MLB. If they invested just as much time in improving their on-field product as they did trying to find a buyer last season, perhaps they would've avoided this list altogether.
Why are the Pohlads on the naughty list? Not selling the team
Bob Nutting, Pittsburgh Pirates
Bob Nutting wants a salary cap oh so badly. Nutting claims it's the only way a team like the Pirates can compete on a yearly basis. Yet, how would he know that? Nutting has put the bare minimum into his ownership role, finishing near dead last in payroll on a yearly basis. Again, this man is valued at over $1 billion. He doesn't have the right to cry poor.
Pirates fans are immensely loyal, often to a fault. This season alone, they've dealt with Paul Skenes trade rumors, their beloved Bucco Bricks getting thrown in a dump truck and Pittsburgh peddling a franchise icon for an alcohol advertisement – and that's just to name a few PR disasters. Trust me, there were more.
To Nutting's credit, the Pirates have tried to add some stars this winter. They traded for Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays. They made an offer to free-agent Kyle Schwarber, only to be turned down in favor of their cross-state rivals. It turns out star-caliber players like Schwarber don't want to play for a perennial loser. Who would've thought the players could see right through Nutting's antics just like we can?
Why is Bob Nutting on the naughty list? Wasting generations of Pirates stars
Tom Ricketts, Chicago Cubs
If the Ricketts family could rent out Wrigley Field and turn it into an apartment complex, they would. There's little argument the Cubs are one of the more prestigious franchises in all of baseball. As a result, they are a valuable asset for the Ricketts family, which is making money hand over fist thanks to ticket sales, merchandise and a loaded TV contract. They have little to complain about.
This is all to say that, at times, payroll numbers can be misleading. Sure, the Cubs invest just enough in their on-field product each year to contend. They play in Chicago, after all, which is a large market. Failing to invest would lead to riots.
What I cannot get behind is their decision-making of late. The Cubs operate their budget as if they're the Guardians and Tigers, who are ironically also mentioned in this list for far different reasons. The Cubs are almost guaranteed to lower payroll next season, and will let Kyle Tucker walk in the process. Tucker is the kind of player serious contenders would build around. Instead, all we get from Ricketts and Jed Hoyer is a shoulder shrug.
Why is Tom Ricketts on the naughty list? Selling false hope
Bruce Sherman, Miami Marlins
Unlike the Tampa Bay Rays, which find creative ways to compete despite a low payroll each and every year and are under new ownership, the Marlins are stuck with Bruce Sherman. The Marlins had one of the lowest payrolls in baseball last season at just $67 million. Reminder: Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani made more than the entire Marlins roster last year if you count deferrals.
To make matters worse, the Marlins aren't even that bad! They kept their head above water in a tough NL East last season, and if they made the right additions this winter instead of trying to trade controllable assets, could be in a good position to contend in 2026. Instead, Edward Cabrera and Sandy Alcantara are on the block.
Both pitchers should land a decent haul in return thanks to their affordable contracts and all-around mound presence. Alcantara is a former NL Cy Young winner, while Cabrera is an up-and-coming, top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher on a great team-friendly deal. These are exactly the kinds of players the Marlins should be building around, rather than sending elsewhere.
Sherman, like many of the owners on this list, is bad at his job. It really is that simple.
Why is Bruce Sherman on the naughty list? Crying poor with the Marlins
Why an MLB lockout is more likely than ever before
The current MLB CBA expires next December, and the owners above (along with many others) seem intent on locking out the players if they get their way. The cheapest owners in the sport want a salary cap, which is a non-starter for the players, and rightly so. We've seen how a salary cap can impact player earnings in other sports, most notably the NFL. But unlike in football, the MLBPA has a tremendous amount of power, and the onus for these negotiations will ultimately fall on owners.
In a battle for the soul of baseball, multi-millionaires have an edge over the billionaires who pay their salaries. Rob Manfred is forced to fight for the owners, who ultimately pay his salary, but there is no hill to die on via a salary cap. Yes, the Dodgers are outspending their competition, along with other big-market franchises like the New York Mets and New York Yankees. What the players have to their advantage is a clear correlation between spending and on-field success. What they also have is a free-agent market that is drying up, with small-market owners hoping to save face prior to a lockout of their own doing.
The disconnect between the above owners and players is rather simple to explain. One party is all-in on winning during a small window of peak athletic ability. The other is sitting on billions of dollars and views their franchise as little more than an asset, increasing in valuation year after year. The argument behind not spending is a simple one: When these owners do eventually sell, or hand down their franchise to the rightful heirs, they want it to be worth as much money as possible.
If that means sitting on their hands and forcing the fans to watch losing season after losing season, then so be it. But that strategy will backfire in CBA negotiations, as the owners have already lost the plot and PR battle.