The Dodgers Aren't the Problem

There's been a lot of consternation in baseball this season about the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have won the last two World Series and are currently on track to make the playoffs again this year, barring an epic collapse. They currently have one of the best players I've ever seen in Shoei Ohtani, a two-way marvel who can both pitch and clobber the ball. They've also stacked their team with some of the best talent in baseball to surround him. Players like Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Edwin Díaz, Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman and they just traded for back-to-back AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal. There are those that are claiming this is bad for baseball and that the Dodgers are buying the championship. I might be annoyed by it given my Phillies fandom, and I might dislike them for it, but I have to respect their being willing to put the best team they can out on the field to be as competitive as they can.

Most professional sports teams in all the major sports are owned by private individuals or groups. There are a few exceptions like the Atlanta Braves and Green Bay Packers, but for the most part, they're all private organizations who don't have to divulge their books. We the public might be able to make some educated guesses, but we can't know for certain how much money the teams are making their owners. And it is true that certain big market teams like the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, and even my Phillies probably have an edge money-wise, I don't think many of the other teams are as "poor" as their owners would like you to believe. Their owners just want to maximize profits and paying for top talent cuts into said profits.

Note

The owners and players union is currently battling back and forth with some opening salvos with the upcoming collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Owners want a salary cap to help lower their biggest expense, and players don't want to be constrained by arbitrary limits as it would lower their salaries.

All too often, even when teams aren't trying to win, and haven't been for a while, they still have fans coming to games, buying concessions and merchandise. Why spend big money if fans are still paying your bills and making you profits? Now I don't want to say that teams aren't trying. I'm sure many are. I just question how hard they're willing to push the envelope. There are obviously limits to what every team can do. There's always a balancing act with building a team. Going all in can always produce mixed results. You don't always win it all. If you do, that's great, but if you don't, you might've just traded away prospects (younger players who could be the next superstar) or given out contracts that prevent you from making moves later. And even if you do win, is it repeatable or are you going to crash and burn out because of it the next season?

The Dodgers are showing that it is doable and repeatable. They've won back-to-back World Series and are primed for another deep run this season. It would be nice if other teams tried harder to go for it like the Dodgers. They traded for one of the the best active starting pitchers and still look to have a farm system that could allow them to build and compete in years to come. They're a well run organization to be sure, but I can't believe they hold a monopoly on front office talent.

Yes, the Dodgers are a big market team and have resources other teams might not. Yes, they are taking advantage of that ability to build a juggernaut. But the problem isn't them doing that. The problem is other teams not going for it.

As Tarik Skubal put it after the trade:

Every Team Could Trade for Me

He's not wrong. Other teams could have made a push to get him. There might have been reasons others might not have been able to land him, but don't blame the Dodgers for making the trade. The Tigers were going to trade him, they're not going to not trade him just because other teams didn't make competitive offers.

One last note I want to end on. As of me writing this on August 12, the Tampa Bay Rays are leading the AL East with a record of 74-46. They also have the best record in baseball (tied with the Brewers). They have a 6.5 game lead over the New York Yankees, and a 9.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox. The Tampa Bay Rays have the 23rd (out of 30) highest payroll in baseball. The Yankees (3rd) and Red Sox (10th) are in big markets are still behind them. I mention this because it shows that having a big market can certainly help, but it doesn't mean everything.