Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 19, 2025
B/R
The Los Angeles Dodgers are continuing to flex their financial muscles after agreeing to a deal with 2024 All-Star reliever Tanner Scott.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Sunday the two sides agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract, adding the deal will take the Dodgers’ luxury tax payroll past $375 million.
Per FanGraphs, that’s nearly $70 million more than the next closest team, the Philadelphia Phillies ($308 million). The New York Yankees are the only other team projected to eclipse $300 million.
Competitive balance is always a concern in a league that doesn’t have a firm salary cap, though the competitive balance tax has increasingly become a de facto cap.
It used to be that fans bemoaned how all of the best players ultimately found their way to the New York Yankees. Now, the Dodgers are occupying that position. They committed more than $1 billion in total to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason, and this winter they’ve added Scott, Blake Snell, Rōki Sasaki and Michael Conforto.
Spotrac @spotrac#Dodgers Offseason Notables
Free Agency
Blake Snell, $182M
Tanner Scott, $72M
Teoscar Hernandez, $66M
Blake Treinen, $22M
Michael Conforto, $17M
Extension
Tommy Edman, $74M
International
Roki Sasaki, $6.5M
The debate over whether Los Angeles’ spending is good or bad for the overall health of baseball was already hitting a fever pitch. The deal with Scott will only heighten the discussion.
Jomboy Media @JomboyMediaThe Dodgers are NOT bad for baseball according to @trevorplouffe pic.twitter.com/UwepgqnlTa
nugget chef @jayhaykidDodgers sign player because they offered the most money: sport is broken
Dodgers sign a player when they don’t offer the most money because of the quality organization and winning environment they’ve built: sport is broken
This is a situation where multiple things can be true.
There are numerous examples around MLB where ownership regimes aren’t investing as much as they reasonably could. There’s no reason why the Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox, two marquee franchises in big markets, should have a payroll in the middle of the league. The Cleveland Guardians are on track to spend around $91 million on the heels of an ALCS appearance, which is slightly less than their roster cost in 2001.
But asking owners to spend more elides how not all money is equal in MLB.
The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays have both chased prized free agents in recent years, only to miss out almost every time. The Giants finally reeled in a big fish with shortstop Willy Adames, but few would consider him a true star in the traditional sense. The way in which the Blue Jays are getting mocked for failing to seal the deal makes you wonder why they bother trying anymore.
D.J. Short @djshortThe Blue Jays, always pic.twitter.com/zufBkZTFPk
Mike Beauvais @MikeBeauvais”When Roki Sasaki signs with Dodgers, it’s gonna crush Blue Jays fans.”
Brother, do you know how dead inside we already are?
We haven’t felt anything in years.
You can’t kill what’s already dead.
One important aspect also separates the Dodgers from the Yankees and what were perceived as the biggest spenders in generations past.
The Bronx Bombers ultimately operated at the whim of one man: George Steinbrenner. That worked to both their benefit and detriment. Sure, Steinbrenner wrote huge checks for proven talent, but his demeanor and antics behind the scenes brought plenty of drama that impacted the team’s performance.
As many have pointed out, the seeds of the Yankees’ 1990s dynasty were planted when Steinbrenner was banned and unable to have any input on baseball decisions.
Front offices don’t run like that anymore.
Los Angeles has Andrew Friedman in charge. Friedman has combined the savvy from his Tampa Bay Rays days with the financial might of the Dodgers. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who’s pretty front-facing and not shy about voicing his opinion, is willing to let president of baseball operations David Stearns run the show. Phillies principal owner John Middleton seems content to just sit back and write checks.
For all of their spending, there’s no guarantee the Dodgers win the World Series in 2025 or any year after that. However, they’re showing right now how it’s simply impossible to match a franchise from a major market when it goes all in and does so efficiently.
