Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Oates
You forgot Kershaw...and claiming players off the waiver wire like Max Muncy. ...and smart trades like Mookie Betts. The Dodgers don't yield one or two methods. They leverage every possible avenue to improve their roster. Meanwhile, some teams pocket their revenue sharing money and field mediocre, or worse, teams.
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Don't kid yourself. The Dodgers have a MASSIVE revenue advantage over every other team in the league. A part of that is team popularity and market size yes, but the lions share is their ridiculous TV contract and the Ohtani factor. Their 2025 revenue is guessed to be somewhere in the $1B range, whereas the Brewers are $350M. All other factors equal, they could spend $650M more than Milwaukee on payroll/tax alone and come out with similar profit margins. Smith is a superstar who was drafted and developed by LA. Kershaw is a legendary pitcher also drafted and developed by LA, but has had minimal impact on the 24/25 clubs. Yes, Betts was a steal via trade - but there were only a couple teams in the market because guess what? He had a massive contract extension coming. They BOUGHT Snell, Yamamoto, Ohtani, Freeman, Hernandez - and even argue they got Glasnow via the Mookie trade route. The Dodgers leverage exactly one avenue - money.
I'm not whining, just spouting facts. What the Dodgers do isn't illegal in any way shape or form. The team could spend $200M on payroll and be a profit machine, but they buy everyone and put it into players to try and win championships. That's commendable in a sense, and I sure as hell would appreciate it if I were a fan. But turning a blind eye to their revenue advantage and scolding others for pocketing a few million is ridiculous. If the economics of the game don't change through the next CBA in 2027, the game will die.