The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to spend freely – Is this bad for baseball?

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the defending World Series champions, but detractors might say that the franchise bought the title rather than earning it the hard way.

Los Angeles has signed the likes of Blake Snell, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, seemingly proving that their budget for player contracts doesn't really exist.

Additionally, the Dodgers won the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes. Granted, they didn't have to pay up to get him, but it was yet another example of the rich getting even richer.

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This is all a continuation of what the team did during the 2023 offseason. They spent over $1 billion to acquire big name free agent talent like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto at that time, as reported by ESPN. The contracts these two players commanded had the baseball world buzzing, but it once again begs the question whether this type of spending spree is good for the sport.

It’s no secret that teams located in New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles have the most money to throw around when it comes to signing players. The Dodgers may have taken that reality one step further, and some might argue, one step too far. On the other hand, it may not be fair to penalize teams with inherent location advantages and storied histories, either.

The NBA, NFL and NHL have instituted hard salary caps that teams cannot go over without significant penalties. MLB’s salary cap exists, but it doesn’t have the same teeth as the threshold in the other sports. Until teams really feel the sting of spending at an alarming rate, the Dodgers and other big market teams might continue to liberally open their checkbooks.

One could argue that Ohtani and Yamamoto landed in the perfect place. Two Japanese stars playing on the west coast of the United States for one of the most popular teams in sports should maximize interest in baseball. Japanese fans would continue to consume MLB, which has been a consistent pipeline of talent for the game. That should only increase in 2025 with Sasaki's arrival.

Ohtani and the Dodgers did something really interesting with the 10-year, $700 million pact. The star two-way player will only receive $20 million of that figure during the next decade, while the remaining $680 million will be paid out after that time frame, as reported by The Ringer. This significant deferral might allow the Dodgers to remain aggressive spenders during the prime of his career, which has turned out to be the case.

The Dodgers know better than anyone else that rosters on paper do not guarantee World Series titles. However, the formula seems to be working, so it's unlikely they will cut back any time soon.

As if they weren’t well known enough, the Dodgers will have an additional target on their backs heading into the 2025 season. They won it all in 2024, but will continue to need to win World Series in order to meet the lofty goals of the organization and the fan base.

While spending a billion dollars in free agency is nothing to sneeze at, the organization hopes that they will recoup a lot of that money in other ways. The Dodgers own Spectrum SportsNet LA, which broadcasts their games. The network should see a spike in viewership, which should also boost ad revenue. Additionally, fans all over the world will buy Ohtani, Yamamoto and, the club hopes, Sasaki jerseys.

There’s certainly a case to be made that they’ve unfairly shifted the competitive balance of the sport in their direction, but others will flock to their games in person and on TV because of the intrigue they’ve created.

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Is the Los Angeles Dodgers spending bad for baseball? Let us know where you stand by leaving a comment!