The Los Angeles Dodgers’ dominance with respect to National League West titles has largely gone unchallenged in the past 12 seasons, but the Arizona Diamondbacks have emerged as an intriguing threat.
Over the past three seasons, the Diamondbacks managed to put together competitive rosters by following a similar blueprint to what the Dodgers have used for many years. The Diamondbacks have had a knack for pulling off savvy trades over the years, with the players that were acquired growing into the foundation of the team.
Zac Gallen, Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte are some of the best examples of young players who developed in the Diamondback’s organization after being acquired via trade. They also have a group of homegrown players thrown in the mix, including Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo and Brandon Pfaadt.
The Diamondback’s recent progress resulted in a surprising World Series appearance in 2023, which included a win over the Dodgers in the NL Division Series. Although, it is worth noting that they would not have been a playoff team in any normal year prior to 2022, as they finished only six games over .500 that season and were the sixth seed as part of an expanded postseason field that remains in effect.
The final piece required to building a program similar to what the Dodgers have was an increased financial commitment from ownership, which has improved since 2023. After starting with the 21st-highest payroll in 2023, the Diamondbacks have risen all the way up to 11th in 2025.
Even as the Diamondbacks find some success and traction, team owner Ken Kendrick has issues with the current status quo in regard to the Dodgers’ spending habits, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:
“Are their baseball people and their owners smarter than all the others? I don’t think so,” Kendrick said. “Our game, by virtue of how playoffs work, evens the playing field by some degree in the playoffs. But the regular season is not a necessarily even playing field and I think it should be — more even than it is. I believe in those who are brighter than the next guy being more successful than the next guy. But when you see one team with a payroll that is 5x their competitor, the chances over time of that team at 5x over the less financially supported team, they’re going to win.”
While Kendrick might believe that the Dodgers’ organization doesn’t have a leg up on their competition in the front office, some objective truths would beg to differ.
In the past 10 seasons, the Dodgers have produced two NL Rookie of the Year winners, a homegrown MVP, and plenty of other talent they developed. To the D-Backs’ credit, Carroll was named Rookie of the Year in 2023.
While Kendrick is concerned about how much money the Dodgers are spending, the Diamondbacks haven’t been the smartest with the contracts they have handed out. The four-year, $80 million contract given to Eduardo Rodriguez and what was essentially a two-year deal worth more than $40 million for Jordan Montgomery both have been disasters.
Diamondbacks looking forward to competing with Dodgers
The Diamondbacks’ players aren’t concerning themselves with the Dodgers’ spending and instead are welcoming the challenge of playing the “super talented” Dodgers.
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