The Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games to become baseball’s first repeat World Series champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
The Dodgers had to overcome numerous injuries to get back to the Fall Classic and started playing up to their potential when key players returned in the second half.
As they got back to full health, the Dodgers looked like the juggernaut that many expected them to be. They made quick work of the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in the postseason before earning a hard-fought victory over the Blue Jays.
New York Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner recently commented on the Dodgers’ run and fears they are only going to get stronger, via Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News:
“Of course it’s a concern. They do have tremendous resources, and they’ve gotten the job done. That’s the big thing. They’ve played to their potential when they needed to. They have overcome a lot of injuries this year. Again, they got healthy at the right time. I don’t know what next year is going to bring. But of course it’s always a concern anytime I feel that one team is pulling away from the other 29, (or) selfishly pulling away from me. I’m not quite sure I’m convinced of that yet because so much happens during the course of the baseball season. But all we can do is do the best we can, put the best team together, the best roster together that we can.”
Steinbrenner’s remarks are in line with other MLB owners who believe the Dodgers have an unfair advantage because of their financial resources.
Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort previously called for the implementation of a salary cap because of the Dodgers’ recent spending on free agents, which is expected to be a contentious issue in the next round of collective bargaining agreement (CBA) talks.
While it’s true that the Dodgers can sign virtually any player they want, the organization also invests in other areas such as player development to ensure they can sustain their success as long as possible.
Hal Steinbrenner dismisses Dodgers payroll
To Steinbrenner’s credit, he did correctly point out that teams spending big in free agency does not necessarily correlate to winning World Series championships.
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