As the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their second straight National League pennant earlier this month, manager Dave Roberts told the raucous hometown crowd, “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!”
Roberts was referring to persistent criticism that the franchise is essentially buying World Series titles by hoarding high-priced talent that few teams can afford. This was amplified after the team signed then-free agent Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract in 2024 — with most of the money deferred.
Then, this past offseason, they doled out the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto inking a 12-year, $325 million deal.
So, are the Dodgers “ruining” baseball? Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre doesn’t see it that way.
“To me, the Dodgers have done things right,” the former New York Yankees skipper told KTLA 5 News. “I can’t say they’ve been bad for baseball or ruining baseball because people pay their way (to see) how good they are and how well they play.”
According to Spotrac, the Dodgers went into the 2025 campaign with a league-topping payroll of $350 million (including deferred payments), followed by the New York Mets at $341 million, the New York Yankees at $304 million and the Philadelphia Phillies at $290 million.
Torre, who managed the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, Cardinals and Braves and won four titles with the Yankees, argues that money alone doesn’t equal success.
“I can tell you one thing. When you’ve got a team that quote-unquote is ‘supposed to win,’ that’s a lot of pressure that the manager has to deal with because expectation does add that little layer of pressure for the team and the manager,” he said.
The Dodgers host the Toronto Blue Jays Monday night for Game 3 of the World Series, which is tied 1-1. This is L.A.’s fifth appearance in the Fall Classic over the past eight years, winning two titles.
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