The Los Angeles Dodgers are four wins away from becoming the first repeat World Series champion MLB has seen in 25 years.
That has prompted many to question the fairness and legitimacy of the potential accomplishment due to the Dodgers’ payroll compared to most other teams.
Regardless, there figures to be continued calls for an MLB salary cap as part of a new collective bargaining agreement that will need to be put in place after the 2026 season with or without a Dodgers’ World Series title this year.
Manager Dave Roberts is aware of the criticism the organization receives, but it doesn’t phase him. He is proud to be a part of an organization that is committed to winning and believes the sport would be better off if other owners did the same.
“There’s always critics. I think that we’re in a big market, we’re expected to win. Our fans expect us to win,” he said. “I can’t speak to what revenue we’re bringing in, but our ownership puts it back into players, a big chunk of it, which I know that’s the way it should be with all ownership groups.
“I don’t want to get too philosophical on ownership, but I do think that trying to be a competitor as Mark Walter and our ownership group is, that’s what you would want.
“I think that that’s what sports fans would want from everyone, to get the best of their team. And I think we do as good a job as anyone.”
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the 2025 season with the fifth-largest payroll in baseball, which included some offseason spending. They signed Max Scherzer to a one-year, $15.5 million deal and Jeff Hoffman for three-years and $33 million.
Scherzer delivered a clutch performance in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series and Hoffman has a 1.23 ERA in 7.1 innings this postseason, including closing out Game 7.
Toronto also agreed to a 14-year, $500 million extension with franchise cornerstone Vladimir Guerrero Jr. during the season. He has rewarded them with an extraordinary postseason and is one of the main reasons the Blue Jays made the World Series.
Seemingly expanding on his comments about the Dodgers’ payroll, Roberts further poked at critics by calling on the team to “really ruin baseball” by winning the World Series.
Mark Walter buys Lakers
Given that Walter has provided significant financial backing for the Dodgers to aggressively field a competitive team on an annual basis, there was plenty of excitement throughout Southern California amid news of his purchasing the Los Angeles Lakers from the Buss family.
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