The Dodgers Aren’t Ruining Baseball—they’re Just Doing Everything Right

TORONTO — Remember, Shohei Ohtani wanted to stay an Angel. Freddie Freeman each but begged to enactment successful Atlanta. Mookie Betts thought he would walk his full profession successful Boston. 

Max Muncy was released by nan A’s. Tommy Edman was traded while connected nan injured list. Blake Snell was disposable to anyone connected nan unfastened market—twice. 

And it’s nan Dodgers who are ruining baseball?

Sure, nan money helps. The squad that is headed to its 2nd consecutive World Series, and 5th successful nan past 9 years, pinch a chance to triumph 3 successful that span, boasts, astatine $329 million, nan highest payroll successful nan sport. After winning nan World Series past season, they added $450 cardinal worthy of caller players. Their section TV woody pays them $334 cardinal a year, and this twelvemonth they launched a paid instrumentality nine successful Japan, pinch rank tiers ranging up to $500 per person. 

But nan No. 2 Mets ($323 million) didn’t make nan playoffs. The No. 3 Yankees ($288 million) were bounced successful nan American League Division Series. And 48% of that TV money and 97% of that instrumentality nine money goes into gross sharing, truthful everyone other is benefiting from it, too. 

Meanwhile, nan Dodgers person fixed retired only 3 of nan apical 30 astir lucrative deals, and truthful acold each 3 look worthy it: $700 cardinal complete 10 years for Ohtani (and that is an different case, because 97% of nan money is deferred, truthful nan statement functions arsenic a in installments card), $365 cardinal complete 12 years for Betts and $325 cardinal complete 10 years for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani is nan biggest prima successful sports. Betts is simply a three-time World Series champion, doubly for nan Dodgers, an eight-time All-Star and a finalist for this year’s National League Gold Glove astatine shortstop—a position he ne'er played professionally earlier past season. Yamamoto is their ace and conscionable threw a shutout successful nan National League Championship Series. 

Mostly nan Dodgers excel astatine evaluating players, and past they excel astatine processing them. And then, erstwhile they’ve done each that, they excel astatine keeping them. 

Angels proprietor Arte Moreno, incredibly, reportedly balked astatine nan woody building Ohtani offered. Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos didn’t want to springiness Freeman nan sixth twelvemonth he sought. Red Sox proprietor John Henry—estimated nett worth: $5.7 billion—wasn’t willing successful coughing up nan $350 cardinal aliases truthful it would return to fastener up nan franchise’s champion homegrown young subordinate since Ted Williams. Those were each mistakes of evaluation. 

Freddie Freeman is among nan cardinal members of nan Dodgers who didn’t person nan connection he wanted pinch his erstwhile squad and opted alternatively to make measurement for L.A. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Muncy had a bully oculus successful Oakland but nary powerfulness and nary protect home. The Dodgers adjusted his plaything and played him everywhere. Now he’s possibly their 4th astir important hitter. Anthony Banda had a 5.69 ERA successful parts of 7 seasons each crossed nan league. The Dodgers fixed his slider and told him to ditch his changeup. Now he’s a cardinal left-handed fireman. Roki Sasaki came to L.A. successful portion because he had mislaid fastball velocity successful Japan and wasn’t judge why. After a dreadful commencement to nan season, nan Dodgers told him to flex his backmost leg. Now he throws 100 mph again and gets astir each important late-game out. That’s development. 

And arsenic for keeping players, they’re turning them away. President of shot operations Andrew Friedman says he gets truthful galore calls each wintertime that he could capable much than 1 roster—and that number only increases arsenic nan squad continues its success. 

“In 2015, our extremity was to create a destination,” he says. “Somewhere our players don’t want to time off and different players are looking longingly that they want to be. It’s fragile, and it’s thing that you person to proceed to get amended astatine each year, but that is nan point I’m astir proud of—the inroads we’ve made connected that front.”

Right fielder Teoscar Hernández, who signed a one-year prove-it woody pinch nan Dodgers earlier 2024, each but begged to travel back. Yamamoto fundamentally told different teams to extremity offering him much money; he wanted to beryllium successful L.A. Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates took little money for a amended changeable astatine a ring. Across nan league, players perk up erstwhile they perceive nan Dodgers are asking astir them; they cognize they’re astir to get a batch better, and, arsenic outfielder Alex Call put it soon aft he was dealt from nan Nationals astatine nan deadline: “I’m going to nan World Series!”

The Phillies’ Bryce Harper had it right. “Only losers kick astir what they’re doing,” he said this spring.

And that’s because they’re doing it nan due way. Betts turned himself into a Gold Glove–caliber shortstop by sheer unit of will—and thousands of crushed balls. Freeman, a 36-year-old begetter of 3 who has made almost $300 million, plays each time and scolds anyone who doesn’t. Clayton Kershaw treats February bullpens for illustration World Series games. 

“You tin travel early astatine Dodger Stadium aliases erstwhile we’re connected nan road, and watch our prima players retired present early, taking crushed balls retired successful nan field, doing everything to effort to thief them summation immoderate separator for that night,” says Friedman. “And you tin look crossed nan field, and nan squad we’re playing—their players are not out.”

They’re not ruining baseball. This is what shot is expected to look like.

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