Sunday morning I was looking at photos from the Dodgers celebration. One of them features Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow posing with a beautiful trophy. They, the Dodgers alone, are paying $1.34 billion. Seriously, tell me what's happening in baseball is fair and beneficial.
Here is the photo in question:
The Blue Jays played their best baseball of the year and lost to the Dodgers, who played their worst baseball of the year. For me, this puts me in the sacrum@%. Because the Dodgers had such a crowded clubhouse that they could afford to be bad and still win.
I will look like a frustrated child looking for excuses after this heartbreaking defeat. Yes, a little. I hate this.
This is not the first time I've written this, but I am in favor of introducing a real salary cap in baseball, like in the NHL, NBA and NFL.
The players don’t want to know anything because they will be paid less, that’s obvious. Many owners don't want to know anything. In short, it won't happen tomorrow. And it's awkward.
This means that some teams have payrolls five times higher than others. Of course, the Jays are also big spenders. But that's still $100 million less than the Dodgers!
Written in the sky
Before the 2024 season, I predicted that the Dodgers would win the World Series. Everyone said that the team was buying itself a championship. Well, yes!
What a surprise: The Dodgers won pretty easily.
Photo by AFP
At the start of 2025, I predicted the Dodgers would win the World Series. It was an easy forecast.
The team with the highest salary simply won everything.
For 10 years, only rich teams won the big trophy. More modest clubs like the Rays, Diamondbacks and Cleveland have come closer. But it doesn't count if you get close.
No need to force
The worst thing about the Dodgers this year is that they got there by being bad.
In the World Series, the team combined for a .203 batting average. Jace hit .269.
Los Angeles pitchers had a 3.95 ERA. Those of the Jays, 3.21.
By almost every measure, the Blue Jays were great.
On the other hand, Mookie Betts hit .138. Freddie Freeman was no shadow of his former self with a .207 batting average and just one hit over one. Max Muncy didn't wake up until the last game. Tommy Edman looked wild with four hits in 28 at-bats. Shohei Ohtani was very good, but he was overshadowed by Vlad Jr.
Photo by AFP
In the series, the latter hit .397 with eight home runs. What about Ernie Clement and his .411 batting average? Fans tell me he is a good hope for the Jays. This is not hope at all. He's 29 years old and was never good enough to play in the league until last year. He makes $66.5 million less than Ohtani.
Clement played over his head. Same thing with Addison Barger. He spent seven years working his way through the minor leagues and suddenly became one of the most feared strikers in the world. It's magic.
On the mound, Blake Snell and Ohtani did not perform as well as usual. On the Jays' side, Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer played better than usual.
You see where I'm going with this.
Package
The Dodgers had to be very ordinary and the Blue Jays had to be flashy for them to be close. It's sad, but that's what a crowded club is like.
Because even if a few guys are bad, there are a few superstars who will win on their own. Ohtani is going to come in and hit a home run. Tyler Glasnow will come in and dominate in relief. Or superman Yoshinobu Yamamoto will do what he did.
Do you think the Dodgers are lucky to have a guy like him? All the clubs wanted him when he left Japan last year. But he chose Los Angeles, which offered him… $325 million.
Photo by AFP
When Andy Pages fled Cuba in 2018 and every major baseball team was interested in him, he ended up… with the Dodgers. He was the one who made the crazy catch in the eighth inning to center field.
Photo by AFP
There are 10 players who earn more than $10 million per year. Only three of them you saw in action were drafted by Los Angeles. The money is given to the best, but the business is ketchup.
I understand the Mets are trying to do the same thing, but it's not working. The difference is that the Dodgers are still minimally well-run, unlike the Mets and their strange owner, a Picasso collector.
The Dodgers would win the World Series again in 2026. This summer they will acquire star player Alex Bregman in free agency on a crazy contract. Maybe Kyle Tucker. Add two or three quality arms to the mound. And the matter will be decided, the championship will already be bought.
