For the second time this month, the Dodgers have made a record-setting free agent strike. Los Angeles announced the signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a 12-year contract. The NPB star lands a reported $325MM guarantee, an all-time high for a pitcher. The deal comes with a near-$51MM posting fee to the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, bringing the overall commitment north of $375MM. Yamamoto is represented by Wasserman.
“I’d like to thank everyone in the Orix organization, the Dodger organization and all the people close to me who have given me so much support throughout this free-agent process,” Yamamoto said in a statement released by the team. “I am truly excited to wear Dodger Blue and can’t wait to play in front of a packed Dodger Stadium.”
Yamamoto receives a massive $50MM signing bonus and a pair of opt-out opportunities. Those are conditional on the status of his elbow but would allow him to retest free agency after the 2029 and ’31 seasons if he stays healthy. If he doesn’t incur a serious elbow injury, he’d be weighing whether to opt out of the last six years and $170MM once the 2029-30 offseason arrives. The deal does not contain any deferred money.
The right-hander has been the best pitcher in Japan for the past few seasons. He spent parts of seven years with the Buffaloes. By his age-20 campaign, he’d emerged as one of the top pitchers at the second-highest level of professional baseball in the world. Yamamoto turned in a 1.95 ERA that season, kicking off a run of five straight years allowing no more than 2.20 earned runs per nine.
That includes sub-2.00 ERA showings over his final trio of seasons. Yamamoto has won the Sawamura Award as Japan’s best pitcher in all three years. He worked to a 1.39 ERA over 193 2/3 innings in 2021, followed by a 1.68 mark in 193 frames the next season. Yamamoto somehow turned in an even better year in his final season, pitching to a microscopic 1.21 ERA through 168 frames.
Among NPB pitchers to reach 100 innings, Yamamoto’s ERA was more than half a run lower than anyone else’s. (Shoki Murakami finished second with a 1.75 mark in 144 1/3 frames). Only Shota Imanaga, who is also available to MLB teams this offseason via the posting system, topped Yamamoto’s 169 strikeouts. He punched out 26.6% of opposing hitters against a tidy 4.4% walk rate.
It’s about as dominant a body of work as a pitcher can build before he faces any MLB hitters. The elite production is supported by both scouting and quantitive evaluations of Yamamoto’s arsenal. Evaluators are nearly unanimous in projecting him as a high-octane major league starter. Conservative estimates on his upside point to a future as a high-end #2 starter, while other scouts have pegged him as a potential ace.
Eno Sarris of the Athletic recently broke down Yamamoto’s repertoire. He suggested Yamamoto brandishes three plus or better offerings highlighted by a split-finger that should be among the best in the majors. The righty worked in the mid-upper 90s with his fastball in shorter stints during the World Baseball Classic. He also sports a promising curveball and a cutter as his third and fourth offerings, while evaluators praise his athleticism and command.
Yamamoto would have been in high demand even if he were in his late 20s or early 30s, the standard age for a free agent pitcher. That he debuted in NPB as an 18-year-old and was made available via the posting system only adds to the appeal. Yamamoto turned 25 in August, making him the first marquee free agent pitcher that age since Masahiro Tanaka signed during the 2013-14 offseason. He’ll be paid through his age-36 season.
To the extent there are concerns about Yamamoto, they’re limited to his lack of MLB experience and a smaller 5’10” frame. That hasn’t worried many evaluators, though, and they’re clearly not issues for the Dodgers.
Entering the offseason, it was widely believed Yamamoto would land the largest contract ever for a player coming over from NPB. It’d have been a far bolder prediction to peg him for the largest deal of any pitcher in major league history. That’s what he’ll receive, though, setting the mark in both contract length and guarantee. He’s the first pitcher in recent memory to reach even the 10-year mark. The guarantee edges past the $324MM which Gerrit Cole landed with the Yankees during the 2019-20 offseason. Yamamoto’s deal stretches three more seasons than Cole’s does, but his camp is surely pleased with the guarantee record even if it required slightly lowering the annual salary.
The deal comes with a $27.08MM average annual value. Regardless of the precise salary distribution, that’s the relevant factor for the Dodgers’ competitive balance tax picture. That pushes L.A. well into the third tier of luxury tax penalization. Roster Resource calculates the club’s CBT number in the $282MM range.
The Dodgers are set to pay the tax for a third consecutive season. They’re taxed at a 50% rate for spending between $237MM and $257MM, 62% for their next $20MM, and a 95% clip for spending between $277MM and $297MM. (They’ll be taxed at a 110% rate for any dollars above $297MM.) By pushing the Dodgers from around $255MM to $282MM from a tax perspective, the contract adds roughly $18.2MM in tax payments. It also means that future acquisitions will come with an elevated tax height.
On top of the money to Yamamoto and the tax payments, the Dodgers are on the hook for a huge sum to Orix. Under the terms of the NPB/MLB posting system, a posting fee is calculated as 20% of a deal’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of further spending. That comes out to $50.625MM which the Dodgers owe to the Buffaloes.
It’s a staggering outlay, one that pushes near the $400MM mark in aggregate. It’s the kind of massive strike the Dodgers envisioned in the wake of the Shohei Ohtani signing. The defending AL MVP deferred $680MM of his $700MM deal until 2034-43. That left plenty of money at the front office’s disposal to fix the starting rotation. With Ohtani unable to pitch until 2025, he signed with a team that only had Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller as locks for the Opening Day rotation.
Within a couple weeks, the Dodgers have constructed a star-studded pitching staff to complement their strong bullpen and loaded lineup. Los Angeles acquired and promptly extended Tyler Glasnow. Adding Yamamoto to the group gives them a potentially elite front four. There’s still some risk. Glasnow and Buehler have concerning injury histories, while neither Yamamoto nor Miller has pitched a full season in MLB. Yet it’s also not difficult to see the path to excellent results regardless of whomever takes the final spot. Ryan Yarbrough, Emmet Sheehan and Michael Grove project as the top internal options, but it’d be foolish to rule out the Dodgers adding a veteran arm to continue their all-in push.
Aggressive as the signing is for L.A., they weren’t meaningfully above their top competitors in the bidding. Martino reports that the Yankees put forth a 10-year, $300MM offer, while the Mets put the same $325MM figure on the table. According to Martino, Yamamoto’s camp had sought opt-out provisions after the fifth and eighth seasons in those discussions. The Giants, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Phillies were also in the running down to the final week.
In the end, it seems Yamamoto preferred the Dodgers to the other clubs that were seriously involved. The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports that the Mets first presented the $325MM offer, which the Dodgers agreed to match. He’ll join Ohtani, Glasnow, Buehler, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith on a team that’s likely to enter the 2024 campaign as the most popular World Series pick.
The rest of the clubs will look elsewhere. The Mets seem likely to have a fairly quiet offseason, as they reportedly viewed Yamamoto as a unique free agent based on his youth and talent. They’re not expected to pivot to the next tiers of free agency. The Yankees, Giants, Blue Jays and Red Sox could all still be in play for top-of-the-market talent, either on the rotation front or at other positions. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery now stand atop the starting pitching class, while Cody Bellinger is arguably the best remaining overall free agent. The market could also now accelerate for Imanaga, the #2 NPB pitcher who has until mid-January to sign with an MLB team.
Jack Curry of the YES Network first reported that Yamamoto would sign with the Dodgers for more than $300MM. Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the 12-year, $325MM term. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was first with the $50MM signing bonus, while Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported the absence of deferrals. Passan reported the two opt-out possibilities.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Lol yeah baby!
Congratulations to the Dodgers!!!
Dodgers fans deserve this.
Baseball isn’t gonna be worth watching unless you like the dodgers, but man they will be cool
huh?
Why?
Was s a s Q2
I can’t think of any other fan base that bothers to spend 4 to 5 innings at the game. Super great fan base. They deserve nothing but the best.
They should change their name to the Los Angeles Dollars
What an entitled thing to think.
MLB is a microcosm of the wealth inequality in America. The Dodgers are Elon Musk, the Yankees are Jeff Bezos and the A’s are homeless. ⚾️
Yeah. Too bad by time they show up he will be at 75 pitches.
Ruining a sport just to lose to an 85 win team…
They deserve $hit all. What a bunch of entitled little princesses.
Go cry more communist.
Wait until injuries occur. imagine new prices for seats, parking, hot dogs and beer. Shylocks will be standing in the food court…
“Shylocks”.
No tf they don’t. No one does
Also, the Northeast can be tough. Fan rebellion when he comes to visit could be rough, especially from those who may believe he played the system and always knew where he was going (once Ohtani signed).
Spare us all your sanctimonious drivel.
I guess when all they have is one fake championship in the last 30 something years they can at least have the best regular season teams ever.
Lmao why is he a communist?!? Your right wing nut job is showing.
Clever character. Demands 50MM signing bonus up front and 1st opt out at year 5. So if he opts out then LA would have paid w/ the posting fee 215MM for only 5 seasons or 43MM per season. Nice work.
ASap – Not a good comparison, Elon has reached the top of the mountain since 1988.
And he moved FROM California, not to it.
Dodger fans also deserve the financial drain these contracts will have on this team for a generation.
That’s great
@Dewey – Time for Boston to pivot to Imanaga & Montgomery/Snell. “Full throttle” begins today!
dewey – Not to worry, they lock up batteries in Philly stores now.
There will be no JD Drewing of Yoshinobu.
Excellent comment, ASaps!!
That’s kinda funny
They don’t even have that going for them every year.
They’re still going to lose in the 1st round.
When you have nothing intelligent to say, call someone a communist!
What ACTIONS in the last 4 years tell you that. Odds are firing Bloom and replacing w/ Breslow is a head fake to placate fans. Henry has reduced the club to second tier status.
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”
“Won’t get Fooled Again” –The Who
Who?
What?
Yeah yeah
Lil Jon
You do realize they have the biggest stadium capacity and have by far the biggest attendance year after year. More people have seen a Dodger game in person than any other sports team in the world.
As opposed to the warm and fuzzies the Northeast is always known for
So in the future, base a decision around where you’d like to settle for family, livelihood, around how the Northeast feels, because you know, feelings butt hurt and all. Got it.
Clever character- as in what. Charlie Chan? Where was the faux outrage when Gerrit Cole signed? cue the Asian peril comments to go along with the Jackie and Shylock comments we saw earlier.
If the A’s were homeless they’d live in San Francisco… but I agree with your analogy, lol
What??? Met and Yankee fans are going to riot??? That is really silly.
Ah here we go. The toughest season in MLB history and the clown patrol calls it a fake championship. How did your team do in 2020 or any other recent year?
Classy Freddie!
Actually Moonpie they’d live in LA, which has the highest homeless population by far in California.
Elon reached the top of the mountain on the backs of the slave labor from mommy and daddy’s emerald mine.
As the economy proceeds toward its inevitable crash, people will not be able to afford tickets to the Dodger games. And these wealthy putzes who thought they were bullet proof will be humped.
Dave – Sorry but that’s a clown comment bro.
60 game regular season schedule
42 of the 60 regular season games played in Cali
Farthest regular season trip was to Houston.
Neutral site postseason games in all but the first round
16 of 30 teams qualifying for postseason
7-inning doubleheader games
No playing in front of hostile road crowds
60-man player pools for each team
Many star opponents not playing because of Covid
Yeah, really “tough” season for the Dodgers. Clearly you didn’t even follow baseball that year, if ever.
Funny thing is many of the people you’re attacking for not recognizing 2020 as a legit championship would also support MLB if they ever decided to award the 2017 championship to the Dodgers.
Something tells me you became a Dodgers supporter about 2 weeks ago.
wow, literally the dumbest comment I have ever seen on her
Fever – I get your point but every team was in the same boat that year and they made the most of it while others gave up.
Dodger concession stand: “I’ll have a Dodger dog and a 16 ounce Coors light.”
“OK, that’ll be $68.00.”
A’s stand: “I’ll have the footlong dog and a Bud.”
“Sorry, we didn’t stock any hotdogs today. We didn’t know anybody would show up. And no beer because our refrigeration is out park wide.”
“What can I get?”
“I can make you some peanut butter toast.”
“OK, that’ll be $1.38.”
grnmtn – Competition is highly dependent on fairness.
No season in MLB history was as inequitable as 2020.
The scheduling has never been as unbalanced as it was in 2020.
As for giving up, did guys like ERod “give up” because Covid gave him a severe case of myocarditis? You’re a good guy, so I don’t think you really mean that.
BTW – I’ve defended the Dodgers spending, because they are playing by the rules. I’m just saying their MLB-leading revenue is a huge advantage that allows them to make these expensive acquisitions.
I thought Bluto said it was the Germans.
I thought the highest homeless population by far was in Colorado. Where the clocks are always set at 4:20
I don’t get it
Why?? What the heck of Dodger fans done that so special?
Really…. Do you have to buy yourself a world series ring? Do you really feel you earned it? when you have an unfair advantage over 1/2 of the other teams (unlimited money to spend). Many of them, small market teams like the Royals and the Brewers can’t even come close to what the Dodgers spend. The Dodgers don’t even have to develop their own players, because they have enough money to outbid most teams for the available top free agents. So while the Dodgers can buy themself an All Star team, teams like the Royals and Brewers can only hope to make the playoffs and wish to get lucky. Baseball sucks because it does not have a salary cap. As one person who has always watched baseball, I am at the point that I am about to stop going to the games and watching them on TV. No one (other than large market teams) want to see the same teams year after year, after year in the Championship or World Series games.
Dodger fans don’t deserve anything when they show up 4th inning and leave the 6th.
Atlanta is way more complete of a team.
Musk would be the Mets
It’s really as much about their TV deal. They essentially own their own TV Channel that I’m forced to pay $5 or $10 a month for even though I never watch it. Same thing with the Yankees and YES Network. Dodgers TV “deal” was something like $8.35 billion for 25 years in 2013 – right when the deferred contract money is starting to come off the books.
@Zerbs
“More people have seen a Dodger game in person than any other sports team in the world”
If that is true – and I have no reason to doubt you – given 81 home games a year and a huge stadia – that does illustrate the hinterland. I had a great time at Dodger stadium, and met some great fans and good people. The English accent and cute European wife helps…
No, Musk’s sports owner counterpart was Dan Snyder. A more appropriate analogy would be the Dodgers being Warren Buffet/ Berkshire Hathaway.
LA draws better than any other team in baseball, so yeah I guess their fans suck…. espn.com/mlb/attendance
Latest valuation puts the Ohtani contract at $1B SURPLUS value. Dodgers are projected to be most valuable franchise of any sport on the planet by the time the contract is up.
How is wealth inequality in any way a bad thing? Do you actually think all wealth should be equal regardless of the things people do and don’t do? And how long do you think that equality would last before everyone was right back where they were to begin with?
Unless we live under a communist totalitarian regime (and even then it will still exist, just with less rights), there will always be some form of iNcOmE iNeQuAlItY. Its inevitable. People have different skillsets, interests, work ethics, and a plethora of other variables that effect this. To just expect there to no or minimal income inequality, or that its even some inherently wrong outcome is naive on an epic scale.
pray tell what losing squad do you support?
The same Elon that makes anti semetitic claims on X?
That Elon?
Ok Princess. You forgot your glass slipper with your man
While your mom hollas
so you’re what now? 12?
Toughest season? You can’t be serious. That 60-game schedule was a real grind. Sorry, it was a tainted “championship”, always will be and nothing can change that.
Perhaps you haven’t checked the Dodgers’ record at the end of the day, when Championships matter. The Dodgers would be Sam Bankman-Fried.
Ha yes. They have struggled for so many years with such poor, poor teams. I assume this is sarcasm.
You can buy players, but you can’t buy a team.
Third. I mean Seventh
What? I thought he was headed to NY! Lol!
NY needs some pitching bad! No panic though!
He was…. LAD offered him money and winning; Mets offered him money, Yankees offered him less money and a Yankees jersey.
They are no longer “‘dem bums” that’s for sure. Walter O’Malley would turn over in his grave.
I think Friedman has finally flipped. Ohtani is a beast but also a 29 year old whose value is a two way player that just had his 2nd TJS. He is going to have to baby that elbow or they will be paying $70m a year for just a DH. There is hardly any bone left to drill the new holes with a 3rd TJS. Think Chris Capuano when imagining a pitcher with his 3rd TJS. Then they go and sign another Japanese pitcher for crazy money. In NPB pitchers throw once a week and go deeper into games. They throw hard all the time like MLB relievers. That is why they have such crazy stats in Japan and they always seem to have elbow trouble their first year in MLB. Tanaka is a perfect example. His first few months he pitched like he was in Japan and was crazy good. Then he developed elbow problems and never pitched the same again. He was a solid #3 but not the TOR he was expected to be. Yamamoto will be the same way or he will keep having TJS like Ohtani. Either way the Dodgers are not getting what they are hoping for. I am glad Cashman wasn’t able to sign him. I think Imanaga is a lot closer to what the Yankees need. Strong steady veteran that can slot into the #3 spot. He is a command pitcher in the mold of Kuroda that won’t spend half of his contract recovering from TJS.
Wow, the Dodgers are going to be a very good team. Congratulations to Yamamoto.
A super team!
why though?
A super team that crashes and burns in the post-season, as they do every year.
Lol….why do you think they are working to delete your narrative?
Yeah… they’re pretty questionable at SS, 3rd, and arguably in the outfield… and there’s some serious injury history hanging out in the pitching staff beyond just Ohtani, Glasnow, May, Gonsolin, and WB.
They do look a lot like a video game team right now and could be awesome, but I’m not completely sold on it all coming together. My money is still on Atlanta.
Yes but WHY will they crash and burn this year. Stay tuned.
This what the Dodgers do. They spend so much money on superstars and building up one aspect of their team that they create holes elsewhere.
They’ll still be the best team but there’s no doubt there will be some holes in positions where they didn’t spread the wealth.
Let’s see if it pays off this time.
Lets call them Western Yankees
The wankees? I like it
Braves aren’t much better in the post season cept for ’21
Every team has a couple of duds. Look at the worst regulars on some of the great Yankee teams, or what some of the greats get from the back of their rotations.
Yes, from a baseball construction basis you raise good points as usual Cora explorer. From a business standpoint, $70 mill annually on two global superstars when you’re already generating so much annual revenue is ingenious. The Dodgers generated $605 mill in revenue last season and their market valuation is already $5.24 billion. That’s before these signings. Let that soak in. Think the global impact of signing these two cats at $70 mill per will be somewhat north of the seismic impact of the $31 mill spent on the Seth Lugo-Wacha doll in Kansas City. Then again, I’ve heard Lugo-Wacha, like Citizen Dick from Singles, are big in Belgium so maybe KC gets some bang too
Yeah, three WS appearances in seven years. One they won and one was stolen. You are right, crash and burn in the postseason.
One ring in seven years with that payroll is atrocious. Going and losing doesnt count when you have those resources. If the Astros would not have cheated they never would have made it the WS and someone else would have beat LA that year.
Wankees, Asmunch, and Red Strokes
Of course, our Cards had no chance at signing him, Francy. I guess the jury is still out on our pitching pick ups. Not very excited.
Weren’t people saying the same thing about the Mets last year?
Ok I’m not salty as I don’t really have a favorite team, just love baseball…. but seriously this is what pushed me over the edge of “baseball is broken”
I agree. It’s not really on the Dodgers. They should be aggressive in putting the best team forward. I just hope more teams step up and do something to put competitive teams on the field. What we’ve seen so far isn’t good for baseball
The Dodgers are rational actors maximizing their position. It’s the CBA that is broken resulting in a competitive imbalance system, and there’s no end in sight for a fix.
I’m not sure we are too far off saying the same thing. I’m just hoping teams get creative to build teams in the short term.
Yeah that’s exactly what he just said.
Yep, backing up what Let said.
This deal is tolerable but the defreerd Ohtani deal? Not sure how that one is tolerable but the price tag will cripple the Dodgers ten years from now at some point. Hopefully they don’t mindlessly spend through it.
Broken system? There hasn’t been a repeat WS winner since the last century. Gtfo
@boxscore, that’s hardly a valid measurement of a competitive system. Large revenue teams have more and higher revenue streams and longer competitive windows. When was the last time the Yankees or Dodgers had a Reds, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, etc. complete rebuild?
I don’t get why some of you feel this way. All teams had the same chance. As reported, the Mets offered the same contract. Yanks offered 300M for 10yrs. Giants, Cubs, Boston etc all were pushing to sign him. What it boils down to is you have a few owners that love the game and are willing to put out winning products while others just satisfied with making money for themselves. Baseball ⚾️ is not broken. It’s the team owners who are the problem. You put quality players out, fans are coming to the ballpark. Besides, you still have to play the game. Dodgers having won anything yet. Teams like the Braves, Padres, Dbacks, Giants, Cardinals, Mets, Rangers, Yankees and others are still competitive teams and it still has big time free agents out there. Padres and Mets went all in the past 2 seasons and didn’t win anything. Miami Marlins shocked the world by winning WS with a team that no one even knew. You still have to play the game.
Or Ray’s right? Too funny.
The Dodgers will make back most of the deferred money in a few years, with the marketing alone. Watch!
Every naysayer clamors for salary caps, yet they still can’t explain how super teams are occurring with *more* frequency in NBA/NFL when they have salary caps.
Dammit I can’t believe I agree with you clipper! lol
Would have to be with a salary floor too. But both sides are greedy.
That’s what she said
How exactly is baseball broken when the dodgers who reset their tax the last couple years didn’t sign big free agents the last couple offseasons and they sign two big free agents and now baseball is broken. Give me a break. You morons who think a cap is going to solve anything. Players want to play in big markets and live in big cities. You can’t make players play in Cincinnati, they play in LA for less money. All a cap does is cost players money.
Calling people morons because you don’t agree with them is childish. Calm down, this is just a discussion about baseball. Get a life.
Telling someone to get a life is childish. Settle down, it’s a discussion about baseball.
@iverbure. Didn’t sign FA last couple of years? What do you call Freeman, Martinez, Peralta, Syndergaard, Heyward? Please stop with the myth. LA uses $ to build its roster and has spent more than any team over past 15 years.
Why the heck would I care how much a player makes or what a cap might cost them? I aint getting a piece of their check. I care more about competitive balance, like say, football is. Without a cap the Green Bays of the world would never see the playoffs
As far as you calling others morons I imagine its how many Dodger fans react to the negative reaction to their spending. You would look a lot better if you just enjoyed being a fan of a team with unlimited resources
A cap is needed. MLB playoff teams predictable. NHL 2-3 teams. I wonder how you would feel if you were a Royals fan?…
@dp I get what youre saying but MLB always has surprises. I know I sure didn’t have the Rangers winning the WS.
@Brew88 Indeed…..At the time of the monster deal with Boston for Gonzalez 10-ish years ago, the writing was on the wall.
The LAD were taking the reins the Yankees held in the mid-90s to the late oughts. Now, if the don’t win at least 2-3 WS before Ohtani retires, they’ll be more associated with the Braves of the 90s and Oughts.
Royals fan here! We’re thinking, “It’s still football season and we have Mahomes.” Don’t worry about us. NFL has taken over MLB for America’s Pastime. It’s moves like this that will make it sink even further for the majority of the country.
But they aren’t taking less money, unless you think Cincinnati has been secretly offering people $325M.
@iverbure
Players don’t care if its a big market or big city. They just want to be paid. Give one example of Cincinnati losing a FA to LAD when they offered more money! You can’t, because they aren’t able to offer more than LAD. You are right in that a cap would cost the players money, which is why they won’t agree to one.
@paddyo I disagree. That 90s Yankee team was home grown in it’s core and it won 4 out of 5 years. The Dodgers are more like the Yanks of the eighties.
Honestly, the Royals have done a great job with moves and staying relevant. They are looking to compete in a weak division.
They’ve done more than my Red Sox. All we have basically done is replaced Verdugo with a player who may not even get 500 at-bats and may get less WAR overall if he’s not healthy.
Dodgers didn’t reset the tax what are you talking about
I’m not surprised really just glad it’s over
Agreed. M also stands for Mute
Yeah Royals fans are jumping for joy they finally attempt to add some talent outside mostly failed prospects spending over 100 mil this offseason, and it winds up less than 10% of what the richest team spends.
Telling someone to settle down is childish. This is a baseball discussion.
After they signed deGrom to an already good team that to advance needed a reliable postseason starter rather than a brilliant question mark I thought it was an absurd bet with 15% of their payroll.
If that is true….Yankees are a close 2nd !
The players are broke man.
Iverbure doesn’t waste time with trivial things like facts. lol
iver – Being ignorant and arrogant at the same time is not a good combination.
You call people “morons” in the same paragraph that you falsely state the Dodgers “reset their tax the last couple years”.
No, they did not. This year they exceeded the threshold for the third consecutive year.
ocregister.com/2023/01/22/dodgers-on-track-to-exce…
“The trade for veteran infielder Miguel Rojas (who will make $5 million in 2023) moves the Dodgers’ projected payroll for 2023 to approximately $237 million, putting them over the CBT threshold for a third consecutive year”
You’re the moron if you can’t see how baseball is broken. A salary cap would mean more teams have a chance to sign guys. If a star player becomes available and the Dodgers already are close to the cap, then Cincinnati could offer more money if they have room. Also, it’s a joke that the Padres and dodgers keep giving out out 10 and 12 year deals, no way to know how a player is going to perform. They are doing that to lessen the AAV, which shouldn’t be allowed.
Are you delusional? Freddy Freeman?? Mookie Betts??? If there was a salary cap, teams would only be able to afford 1-300 million dollar contract. Not 4. Idiot. Also ask Joe burrow, Deshawn Watson, Patrick maholmes, if they need to play in a big market or big city. You sir are a fool.
Exactly, ibervure.
Brew – He also falsely stated the Dodgers “reset their tax the last couple years”.
This was the third straight year they exceeded the tax threshold!
And the only reason it’s not more than three straight years is because 2020 was impossible for any team to exceed the threshold due to the Covid joke of a season.
What’s really needed is a floor. There shouldn’t be a cap if there isn’t a floor.
This country has a distribution of wealth problem which have intruded upon our escapist pursuits like baseball. That said there is enough hate in the world and if you have a problem with the Dodgers better energy is spent on fixing what’s wrong with our country.
When the going rate for a Seth Lugo Wacha doll is $16 mill then Yamamoto at $25 is already kinda a bargain, no? And in 6-7 years, won’t the $25 mill be already common place for a 32 year old starter? Compare where salaries were in 2014 to now before clutching your pearls. Consider that Tanaka and Ellsbury got $22 mill ea and David Price a whopping $31 mill at age 31. Would you rather have a 25 yr old Yamamoto or 31 yr old Price?
@Fever yeah, his was a classic la la post.
Lol you think most players wanna go to LA or New York and deal with those fans and media versus going to a city like Cincinnati or St Louis and live a nice quiet life? No. They do it because they will pay more and have the resources to do so. Noone plays in LA for less money. And you call people morons hahaha!
You showed him!
LOL it’s cute that you think that high profile, young athletes want to live “a nice, quiet life” in cities like Cincinnati or St. Louis. Oh the sheltered life you must lead…
@dps If I was a KC fan I’d feel better w/ the more recent ’15 WS than a NYY fan w/ their ’09 WS. Nice try.
Tru dat Cora. Body builder fullback body types don’t age well in baseball see Mike Trout.
Verdugo at least stayed on the field. Breslow so far? Not impressed.
Having lived in both LA and Cincinnati, I would never again live in the hell hole that is Los Angeles. I won’t even visit there. San Diego and San Francisco are nice. But LA, no thanks. It’s a cesspool.
By the way, Cincinnati is a great place to live. Your comments shows you have never been there. I don’t know anyone who would choose LA over Cincinnati. No one.
I’ve lived in both and would choose LA every time. You must not have been able to afford the nice parts of LA. Every city has run down parts.
He’s getting a $50M up front bonus, and can opt out after 5 years. So effectively, it’s a 5 year $33M deal followed by (at his option) a 7 year $23M. If your beliefs about future FA prices are accurate, if he’s healthy and performing, he’ll opt out. So basically, the Dodgers either are paying for a 5 year $33M/43M contract ($43M includes the posting fee), or they end up stuck with a long contract on a pitcher who no longer is providing comparable value.
grnmtn – I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Big A this year, in and around it.
I refused to go to SF, based on what I’ve heard. Which is sad because I know I would love the ballpark.
Petco Park was awesome as well.
I would love to go to SD; seems like it would be a beautiful place to live.
Calling someone childish is childish
Oh please I lived in Silver Lake, but yeah LA is expensive which is another reason not to like it. I bought a beautiful 3,000 foot home in Cincinnati for $500,000. You would be lucky to buy a dump in LA for that amount. The biggest difference though are the people. People here in Cincinnati are down to earth and would do anything to help a stranger. It has the highest rate of volunteerism in the country. In LA the people are all fake. It has the highest rate of cosmetic surgery in the country. People pretending to be something they are not. If you like LA it says a lot about you.
You shouldn’t be afraid of SF. It’s a very charming city and has the best ballpark in the country.
Instead of basing your avoidance of SF on hearsay, go there and admire one of the greatest cities in the world.
PS— All major cities have problems and parts that you should avoid. For instance, a recent survey shows LA and Seattle far more dangerous that SF.
@Bob you obviously don’t fit in with those down to earth people and they most likely know that you don’t, the way you stereotype a whole city’s population based on a small group of people. That says ALOT MORE about you. Fwiw, I now live in a small remote town of less than 300 people so you don’t have to tell me about down to earth people. They’re the real deal here.
@pete they’re only repeating what their faux “news” gurus are telling them
Pittsburgh has the best ballpark in the country.
I hear PNC is beautiful, but until I see it, Oracle is tops.
Pete – recommend you get Petco on your next to visit list. It is a beautiful park as the voting suggests.
Camden is one that I want to visit soon. SF also for that matter.
Yes, Petco is on my list. I’d been to Jack Murphy.
No comparison my friend – at all. Not even on the same planet.
I’ve seen a lot more at the Murph since I lived in Mission Valley back in my younger years. I enjoy my semi-regular visits to SD and always include a game at Petco. No to think about it, it’s been too long so I’ll try to get there in 2024.
I’ve got Peoria for the first week of March on my calendar and can’t wait!
Obviously you’re the moron because they signed Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts(resigned). You’re stupid if you think a baseball player deserves to be paid 700 million dollars. All sports should have a salary cap.
Nope I’m right
Im right and whatever I say is a fact
@Paul5484
“You’re stupid if you think a baseball player deserves to be paid 700 million dollars.”
A baseball player deserves whatever someone is willing to pay him.
It is, But the Dodgers have just become Chelsea (same owner) and I hope the Dodgers (and I used to like the Dodgers) have similar poor results. Throwing money is not always the answer.
You’ll be happier when they win 110 games and lose in the first round of the playoffs.
Dodgers spent 1 billion on a guy coming off his second major arm surgery and a guy who’s never pitch in the mlb.
Very high risk
This is true. I wonder why every one is so mad?
It’s because they wanted their favorite team to get him and that the Dodgers got him. I know it’s ridiculous, but I really believe that is why they are so mad.
When the money is irrelevant, the risk is minimal.
The money’s not irrelevant, of course. Imagine YY out for 2 years with TJS and Ohtani’s arm woes turning him into a good but hardly brilliant 3-win DH. They’re paying roughly $78m for those 3 wins.
Now what? They’re not going to go out and add another $78m in payroll as if those things hadn’t happened.
Yes they would. That’s what you don’t get. They don’t have to worry about an albatross contract like many teams do.
AND they traded a good young starting pitcher for a guy who average 8o IP per & extended him. Last I checked the Dodgers rotation will consist of 2 guys who were 120 ip last year and that was thier most ip ever. Bueler didn’t pitch, Yama is undersized and will now be throwing an entirely different ball, with shorter rest in a longer season, May is out til after the ASG. Kershaw is a hurt FA til August… Ohtani is replacing JD Martinez who was .893 OPS with 33 HRs. Coming off TJS surgery he, like Harper, probably will be a little low on power. and lower than his career .923 OPS.
1 billion dollars on two players and they still don’t have the most complete roster in baseball. Reminds me of the early 00s Yankees. Big money for 1 or 2 championships. Let’s not forget the dodgers only championship comes from a 66 game schedule.
Your ignorance of history is showing, Paul…
How is $325 mill out of line for a pitcher when 3 other teams are reported to have offered the same thing? Isn’t that market price? It’s like going into Best Buy and throwing a hissy fit over paying $1700 for the latest Sony 65″ 4K Bravia TV, claiming you saw a TV available for $200 at Walmart. As five other people walk out with their purchases of Sony 65″ 4K Bravia TVs.
PaperBag – You forgot Glasnow, another big money risk that only a large revenue team could take.
It’s high risk if you’re not looking at the perks the Dodgers will get from Ohtani alone and simply looking at injury risk etc. It’s been reporting that in his 10yrs in LA, the Dodgers will make over a billion dollars from all the incentives Ohtani bring along with him. It’s already reported his jersey sales are off the chart. You have stores in Japan selling Dodger wine by the bottle and his sales are off the chart. You also have every TV station in Japan paying to stream LA games. What it turn out to be is a smart business move by any team that paid him that money but the Dodgers were his choice so they will reap the benefits. That’s more than enough money to pay both their salaries.
I can see it now. Ohtani can’t pitch in 2024, Glasnow has a permanent spot booked in the medical rooms, Kershaw is out for most of the season and Yamamoto fails to adjust to MLB and the larger ball. Dodgers don’t even make the playoffs.
You forgot Bobby Miller wins the Cy Young and leads the Dodgers to another World Championship.
Bobby Who ?? It is 35 years since the Dodgers won a real one so I suppose Dodgers fans can dream.
I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. The Dodgers easily make the postseason but what they do beyond then is questionable.
That would be beautiful
Exactly what I was thinking. I want the Dodgers to be the power in the NL but the money they dished out just isn’t going to get them where they want to be.
The Glasnow signing in particular seems odd. The chances he’ll be healthy AND effective in October can’t be even 50-50. Where’s the Kyle Gibson or 2 x Adrian Houser to keep them afloat during the year?
And Betts and Freeman have to decline some day, right?
Ohtani should be able to tell him the difference. He has a sub 2 era in the last three years, bauer called him the best pitcher in baseball, and was studying his games to get adjusted. he should be just fine unless his arm falls off
From the department: If you can’t raise your own spirits, lower the countryside.
Lmfao, I wish I knew you personally. I would bet you anything but hey, that was a blind man’s comment so you can’t see anyways!
Hahah let’s goooo!
Told yall he wasn’t signing in cold NY where the rats are the size of cats.
Shadow: Yes you did and my prediction of NYY came right back around and bit me.
Congratulations on Yoshi, he’s going to be excellent. You guys have one heck of a team.
I think the Giants have a pretty good shot in the NL West this season!
Yeah a shot at finishing last in the division
@Buzz Saw…Nah, Rockies have Last on lockdown. SDP and SFG are competing for 3rd and 4th
I dont think DBacks will repeat their 2024 success either. There’s no guarantee… I think San Diego might come in 2nd and Dbacks 3rd but it’s kind of hard to tell at the moment. Giants could also surprise. It would be ironic if their foreign pick up ends up contributing more than the Dodgers’s.
Only if both the Dodgers and Diamondbacks team planes crash in April.
off your meds?
Hmmm … If Darvish was a 25 year old jumping from Japan, would you sign him for 12/$325MM?
@Uncle George
Darvish is 9th in fWAR among all qualifying pitchers since 2012, a five time all-star and multiple top 10 CY finalist. Wouldn’t have been a terrible investment. Could have been a lot worse over that span
( Matt Harvey?)
Over a billion dollars in one offseason? Yuk! Enjoy while it lasts, it’s gonna be rough if those contracts don’t pan out. Especially if this pitcher gets smacked around
It’s not over a billion, it’s ***deferred***
Almost a given, barring a miracle, that THE PADRES WILL NEVER WIN A WS.
MLB loves LA and NY.
MLB has about 6 to 8 favored markets and the rest are NPCs.
This is simply a fact.
No real reason to have a baseball stadium in SD.
Petco should go the way of Qualcomm and the area used to house the homeless.
Exactly how I feel with the Ms. Except we have a roof to keep the on field homeless encampments dry inside T Mobile.
The Chargers went to LA and became homeless
Spanish pushes all fans away-giving the Bolts a dwindling fan base.
Spanos*
The Padres have a great team, great fans and a wonderful stadium. They just need to work on team chemistry and bringing in players who play for the team and not themselves.
@twa Tell everyone your theory on disparate use of juiced & dead balls in Pobres games nefariously brought about by MLB to suppress specifically the Pobres offense & run production.
Didn’t San Diego just beat the Dodgers in the playoffs a year ago?
The problem with with the Padres now is they are doing a 180. They were paying to win and now completely changing their approach. Mets are the same. They need to eye young talent and building longevity, not throw all their chips in to lose.
To say they are never going to win is a little absurd. Look at what the Rangers did this year. They came out of nowhere. What did the Dodgers do? SD still has a chance. I’d agree with you more if you said this about the Rockies before the Padres as that organization doesn’t have a foreseeable plan as far as I can see…
I still keep asking myself if the Dodgers can maintain all this money moving forward. In 5 years when they’re big names are declining, good luck to them.
Please stop with MLB hates the Padres. The Padres hate the Padres. Even with a star studded lineup and the best rotation on paper they couldn’t even win the NL West with everyone else seemingly having lesser of a lineup. Roster composition hardly works with 6 guys who all think they are the best. They don’t play as a team. Chemistry has more to do with a team winning.
There’s no parity in baseball unless you’re the Dodgers, Yankees, or Redsox. The rest can get in the back of the line. If you are not a good farmer you’re out of luck.
Try to pay attention. NYY no WS since 09 and LA’s 66 game schedule WS doesn’t count in many ppl’s opinion.
As a Sox fan, we haven’t had an aggressive push to sign anyone since Chris Sale. We have nowhere near matched the Yankees or Dodgers in those respects.
In the last 15 years these 3 teams have won 3 WS. That’s if you count 2020…….just having high payroll does not equal WS trophies.
Congratulations to Dodger Fans who have Owners who want to win at all cost!!!!!!
HOWEVER—- IT’S RIDICULOUS THAT MLB WOULD ALLOW A TEAM TO SPEND $1 BILLION DOLLARS ON JUST 2 PLAYERS!!!!
ESSENTIALLY CAPABLE OF BUYING A
WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
—- ANY YEAR THEY WANT——
(What’s happened to parity in the MLB???
Has that theory been bought off too???)
In 1968—- the Cardinals became the first team to have a combined total salary of the 25 man roster of over $1 million dollars.
Lou Brock said all of the other teams called them the “Fat Cats”
Salaries are totally out of control in Major League Baseball now!!! No going back!!!
Disgusting and bad for baseball. The Dodgers are just “playing” within the rules, but the rules need to change or they’ll be no competition in MLB. It’s a microcosm of wealth inequality in this country.
Second. I mean 1278th
How much deferred?
As a Giants fan, I’m ready to defer to the Dodgers for the next decade.
Giants will be fine they need to build not grab at the stars
Giants have empty seats. A superstar would fill them. A pitcher not as much as say Ohtani Judge I would guess.
Like they should’ve been doing all along and haven’t been doing? We are decades behind (as in 10-20 years behind)
I started boycotting Giants games this year. As much as it hurts me to boycott my lifelong favorite team, I cannot with good conscience spend another dollar on them until FARHAN is gone
They are building a loser around Farhan Stripling Hanniger etc….
No worries just sign Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger for now. It will just take a little while longer for the Giants to catch the Dodgers.
Yeah but hiring at least a couple guys to play baseball might be a good idea…
F Snell and Bellinger. And Farhan Zaidi
I think those two guys signed already
Like they’ve been doing for the past half decade? The team is a disaster.
I boycotted them but not due to the team. Their usher staff at the games is trash. Some lady tried to kick me out with zero reason. Pathetic.
#FF—you are so misguided, this is not Farhan’s fault. There are 28 other franchises, are they also all failures? How long have you been a fan? Get some perspective. Some franchises have never even won a World Series, ever! We Giants fans are spoiled in comparison. Look at life with a longer lens or you will forever be disappointed in everything.
You sound like me with the Halos. Except I can’t bring myself to abandon Trout. Praying he trades himself to the Dodgers sooner than later!
You’re not a real fan. Real fans don’t “boycott” teams
I didn’t though. I said I can’t bring myself to abandon Trout…He is the entire team…
The problem with SF liberals is that it is always someone else’s fault. No personal responsibility. And yes, the 28 franchises are failures. There is only one winner – no participation ribbons. No comfort dogs. Fire Farhan and his loser staff.
What in the f@ck does this have to do with “liberals”? And Agnes DID NOT say the other teams were “losers.” You’re making up a narrative that is clearly false!
The Giants will be lucky to catch the Diamondbacks let alone the Dodgers. If
Does that include the Rangers?
Agnes is Farhan’s lapdog and/or mistress. She needs to go eat a nice big juicy steak and some genetically modified veggies. In life, there is one winner, everyone else is a loser.
@agnes gooch That line of thinking is delusional. (Btw there are 29 other franchises, not 28.) Now even FARHAN himself is taking responsibility and saying that it’s his fault. It’s nice to see him actually taking some responsibility.
@Yanksfan1030 I still watched from home. I just didn’t spend money on tickets and merchandise last year. I’m not boycotting the team per say, just the front office.
@Pete’sView I agree it has nothing to do with liberals or conservatives, or any of that crap made up to divide people. I wish people wouldn’t try to interject politics into sports conversations, they’re completely unrelated subjects. That said, you did bite at his bait. Let’s try to not feed the trolls.
@True Giants Fan You’re pretty much right about Agnes and the constant emotional defense of Farhan.
But the 10 years after that, the dodgers will be paying 68 million a year to the ghost of shohei ohtani past. Just something to look forward to i guess lol
& probably something to Yamamoto. I’d be surprised if a portion of this wasn’t deferred.
Crazy price for a non proven MLB player. I’m shocked. You’d think the Dodgers are about done now though.
Oh no! Some billionaire will be spending money 10 years from now!
I meant that in the payroll sense
Actually they won’t be. An insurance company will be.
They’ve already trademarked that day: Sho-hei The Money™️
Come on Scott… take solace in the fact they’ll run out of gas in October like they do every year.
As a Rockies fan I wanna jump off a cliff
@JR I’m sure he can get lit up playing a mile high just like most other pitchers.
Oof. That’s rough. I’d love to see the Rockies get competitive. Wish you luck dude!
Plenty of cliffs out there. I do think there are support groups available just for Rockies fans though. Or at least asylums, haha
You are a bandwagon fan and not a Giants fan sir
I’ve been a Giants fan since 1979. Farhan has to go
Doug Fistered…I grew up in Merced, and played against Doug Fister when he played for the Volunteers…I hit a bomb off him at the Merced Jr College before he left to Fresno State. Only time I made the newspaper! Haha
I liked Fister with the Ms. Cool story.
C Us Sink…I seen him at Raley’s grocery store in Merced after he retired, and had a good laugh about that ball Sandoval bounced off his head in the WS. He’s a good dude, gave back to the community.
And now you’re telling strangers about it on line. Strangers discussing MLB.
As a Giants fan all you can do is watch the Giants smack them around. I don’t care who they have, play the game right, you win. Dodgers are in a spot where there’s nothing but a target on their back…every team is going to want to beat them down. When I was young and playing ball, I always wanted to face a stacked lineup. Just so there’s no excuse for when we beat them down.
Unfortunately for the Giants, they don’t seem to have any direction as to where they are going. I like Logan Webb alot, but I don’t see much around him on that staff or in the lineup. Too many complimentary players and not enough impact players.
Edub…there’s a lot of good pieces coming up especially pitching. Giants need a heavy hitter, which they can trade for, sign snell and grab another decent pitcher. They’ll compete if they can make that happen.
Lotsa luck with that
The Giants are Sylvester Stallone vs Dodgers Ivan Drago…David beats down Goliath!! Haha
Not much of a fan then I guess.
I see what you did there
It says zero
None
Zero deferred.
No money deferred. Can almost guarantee you the reason why Ohtani deferred so much of his salary. I’m sure getting the chance to be on the same team as Ohtani was a big factor.
Said $0 deferred much later than my post.
Bingo Sean!!
ugh
Ugh is right. The gap is growing.
The gap is even bigger since the dodgers last real ws win.
Cold blooded tang it…
Baseball is broken.
It’s your team (insert name here) who doesn’t spend. The Dodgers are in the same spot as any other team
For Christ sake no they are not. The Dodgers Mets and Yankees are financially in a league of their own. It the the responsibility of both the writers and pundits as well as the fans to acknowledge this.
Are the owners billionaires? They can afford it. If the team can’t or won’t try to make deals then the teams should be sold! MLB forced McCourt to sell the Dodgers for the same reason. So cry me a FN’G river
The Dodgers are in the same spot? Never have any lamer words been spoken. LOL
This is a billionaires sport. If teams like the Yanks, Dodgers, Mets didn’t exist and spend like they do the smaller teams wouldn’t get the tv revenue and ticket revenue that they do. Your owners are just being cheap and they draft and hire poorly.
No it’s truer words. That you don’t see that is on you
Misfit coming in strong with the most ridiculous thing I’ve read in ages.
Yep, the Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and LA Dodgers have exactly similar revenue streams.
Adorable.
Its a widly unbalanced system. In what world would a team like the Rays who drafts well and is at the top of league in developing players have to trade their best starting pitcher? Or even think about trading Randy? They just cant compete dollar wise.
Rooting for the Dodgers and Yankees is like rooting for Amazon and Wal-Mart against your local mom and pop store.
All those teams are owned by billionaires so yes same page. The Dodgers are constantly getting taxed and draft late year in and year out. So you’re right I’m wrong. The Dodgers are at a disadvantage. Thanks for making me see the light.
Calsurf,
I’ll let a famous character sum up a worthy response:
“And When The Doctor Said I Didn’t Have Worms Anymore, That Was The Happiest Day Of My Life.”
Ralph Wiggum
But Amazon and Walmart have the cool candy, not the busted crusty pez dispenser from 1985 like the mom and pop store…
It’s up to the owners to compete on the business side of things, not just on the diamond.
Tampa Bay has zero fans. Their stands are always empty. That is why they can’t afford to keep their players.
Rays didn’t trade their “best pitcher”.
My local mom and pop doesn’t deliver same day to my door like Amazon. Go team Amazon!
CTMcB
“Rooting for the Dodgers and Yankees is like rooting for Amazon and Wal-Mart against your local mom and pop store.”
It’s like rooting for MLB against the NPB
It’s like rooting for the police vs a shopkufter
It’s like rooting for the US against the world
Stop. Baseball was always like this. 1927 Yankees. 2024 Dodgers. The sport hasn’t drastically changed. It’s not supposed to be “fair.” Upsets make it even more exciting.
Did you type that with a straight face?
Nope! Lol.
Of course they did.
So what you are saying is that it is Milwaukee’s fault their city is smaller and has fewer fans than LA or New York. Glad to see you are logical.
Tampa Bay has plenty of fans. But the Ray’s don’t play there. They play in St Petersburg which is across a toll bridge from 90% of the Ray’s fans. This adds an extra hour and a half each way to the journey to see the Ray’s. You might as we’ll be angry at Chicago fans for not supporting the Brewers. Or Cleveland fans for not attending Pirates games.
Baseball is broken? Except baseball has 16 different title winners since 2000, 3 more than any other major sport. The top 3 payrolls all missed the playoffs last year. How is it broken exactly?
Because (with a couple notable exceptions — well one, now that the A’s train has ended), only a handful of teams are competitive year in and year out.
@Rolup; because,,,,,,, the more teams added to the playoffs, the better the chance a lower seed team has of winning. Anything can happen in a short series! It’s meaningless to play a 162 game season, put the emphasis on winning the division and then let 2, maybe more additional teams in.
The NFL & NHL are even worse with their amount of playoff teams.
That’s pretty dumb to say when arizona just made the World Series. No one considered them a real contender all year.
Yet Nacho Cheese is indestructible!! Long live nacho cheese on carne asada fries!!
Yea look I’m all ‘Yay Yay for Capitalism’ and I’m even OK with the Luxury Tax “Penalty” serving no purpose whatsoever, but a team really should not be able to add ONE BILLION DOLLARS in contracts in one offseason. That’s fckn garbage.
To be fair, the Dodgers balance sheet was pretty low in debt going into this season so while $1 billion sounds crazy, it really is just slightly crazy.
PR
” a team really should not be able to add ONE BILLION DOLLARS in contracts in one offseason. That’s fckn garbage.”
Why?
It’s not like their 2024 payroll is a billion dollars
Ohtani and Yamamoto cost them $69 (nice) million a year.
So what if they signed them for a long time?
Ladies and germs: there can now be zero doubt as to what franchise is now the evil empire.
Why does there have to be just one?
Yeah I’m more of the mindset that LA is Mordor and NY is like the Death Star. More than enough room for multiple evil empires.
Right, those d*mn cardinals just made so many moves early and beat everyone to the punch. The poor dodgers were left with the scraps.
I do believe parity/competitive fairness needs to be addressed in MLB, but not by penalizing the high payroll teams monetarily.
To level the playing field, MLB should hirer some stats/actuary guys. They crunch numbers to determine various payroll ranges and then assign a value for each win.
Ex
Middle payroll range teams: 1.0 Pt/win
High payroll range teams: 0.975/win
Low payroll range teams: 0.975/win
Higher payroll range: 0.950/win
Lower payroll range: 0.950/win
Highest: 0.925/win
Lowest: .0925/win
My idea is to penalize draft picks with crippling selections the more egregious the offense. Any team that spends over a billion dollars should darn near not even get to pick the following season.
Potential to be great… but quality of players in Japan overall is like AAA to MLB. Dodgers better hope he makes the adjustment. Not saying I wouldn’t have wanted him but it’s a huge contract for a unproven
I know right
I’m done watching baseball, this is the final straw.
Byeeee
Final straw? What about Myles Straw? He still here
And available for trade.
Bye?
Oh no please reconsider don’t go
This isn’t an airport – you don’t need to announce your departure.
Byeeeeeee
How original
I think people are allowed to be frustrated. The Padres, an actual small market team, tried to compete financially with the Yankee and Dodger monopolies. How long did that last? I’ll be plugging my nose for the comments on this one.
See ya!!!!!!!
I don’t believe you. : -)
Nahhh not forever, but at least for a couple years. The dodgers having a monopoly on all the best players makes this kinda BS and not interesting to watch.
What’s interesting is that they don’t win despite this crap.
This is nothing new in baseball. The Dodgers are out yankeeing the Yankees at their own game these days.
I am taking at least 3 months off from watching baseball.
The Dodgers still have holes. I don’t think the Rangers had the best roster in baseball last season. D’Backs certainly didn’t have the 2nd best.
Doesn’t guarantee anything. They’re going to be extremely tough but all it takes is a couple bad games and you’re finished.
Blah blah. Sure they don’t. Basically the way the playoff system is set up, whoever’s hot wins. Instead of trying to get better they should probably fold up their tent and hit the road right?
TIm
“What’s interesting is that they don’t win despite this crap.”
Truly the dumbest take
Most wins in baseball over the last decade
SB
“The dodgers having a monopoly on all the best players ”
The Dodgers have Acuña? And Cole? And Seager? And Aranado? And Harper?
Damn. Break then up
They will still lose 50 games!
The Dodgers may have the most “wins” but they don’t win in the postseason. How many World Series wins in that time? ONE – in a short season. So no they don’t win. In fact you could make a case that the Dodgers are the biggest choke artists in pro sports. I don’t hate the Dodgers by any means. Good for them – but you are walking a tightrope with these two contracts. We’ll see…
So many dolts on here, filihok. They provide the most entertainment by winning so many games every year.
Me too
Thanks for announcing your departure.
– no one
@SupremeBacon: Don’t let the door hit ya where nature split ya!
Blue Baron Lolol that’s really good, I’m gonna steal that
Another cry baby. Omg the dodgers reset their tax last year omg more crying
People whine when billionaires don’t spend their money.
Dodgers spend an obscene amount and it’s a huge problem. At least they’re well capitalized and won’t have a debt issue like SD.
All that being said, I hope they get their @$s kicked in October.
Remember, Supreme. You promised.
Why, just every time the Dodgers come to town boo them. Let them know they’re the most hated team in the game. They want to buy a championship. Let them try.
No can do, their fans fill our ballpark
Then don’t go and boycott them. Ha
Ya that’ll show em. Ha ha
Haha!! Yeah it’ll really rattle them!
@Balk: It won’t accomplish anything other than you feeling like you’re doing something. Quite pitiful, actually.
Blue Baron…”other than me feeling like I’m doing something?” I’m not doing anything, but talking to “supreme” dude up there giving him some fun ideas. Not sure who you’re talking too?
Suggesting people go just to boo another team. Pathetic, and I’m talking to you.
I’m talking to you now and don’t care how pathetic you have to be side busting peoples conversations. If I wanted your opinion and ask for it blue moron. All your takes are for birds. Go cry somewhere else
For once the laughing crayon has got a point
And once again ole Baron, no one was saying JUST go to a ball game to boo, your full of assumptions aren’t you? It was a joke. You read one part of someone’s conversation and you think your input is needed or wanted. Move along.
Get over yourself. You’re just a pathetic fanboy.
Like I said Blue Moron, move along, you’re the only thing that’s pathetic. Have no life, just side busting on peoples conversations. I’ll tell you what, don’t speak unless spoken too when it comes to me? I got your fanboy right here! Haha
I’m pretty certain that the Dodgers opening day payroll is going to check in under the Mets last year…..
Oh no don’t go
Why? Dude hasn’t proved anything at the MLB level yet. Could end up a total bust. That will be fun to watch!
Exactly!
Doesn’t sound very supreme of you. I question your bacon.
SupremeBacon — I can understand your disappointment.
Bye Felicia
Oh damn that was sudden…
And disappointing…
But not surprised.
How’s this? Boo! Surprise!
Well, most figured it was LAD or NYY…
Congratulations LAD fans, looks like the team is going to be some fun this year! Ohtani AND Yoshi, wow.
Yankees have serious work to do now because Soto will not make up the difference alone.
I really hope the Yankees don’t go full stupid and make a bad contract decision in an effort to make up for this miss though…..
They need to avoid giving Montgomery #1 starter money when he’s a #3 at best
Matthew, 100%. And it’s precisely what worries me is going to happen. In fact, overpaying for lesser performers is Cashman’s wheelhouse.
I definitely think Monty can be a #2 for the Yankees now truthfully. He’s proven he can beat teams like the Orioles and the Astros. $150 million for 6 seasons definitely seems fair for Gumby.
99CJ99: Yeah, I’d take that in a heartbeat for him. I just assumed he’d be closer to $200MM because of Boras.
Truth be told, I don’t care how much the NYY spend on players, except I can see Hal drawing waaaaaay back over the next couple years.
He’s successfully achieved having NYY no longer be the baseball superpower, imo. It is now the Dodgers. And I congratulate their fans on having an awesome owner/team. Wish ours was as committed to winning.
Definitely bring back Montas. Maybe Jordan Hicks. There could be a trade for a starter in the works. There are some unused bats now with the crowded outfield. And it would keep costs low to then sign Soto.
a number 3 at best? so there are 60+ pitchers better than him? OK…
You mean like rodon?
Well, despite Rodon’s performance and the warning signs that came with him, I supported that signing. Yankees needed to grab a big arm and I’m hopeful ‘23 issues won’t define his Yankees career.
– perhaps I’m naive though….
Rodon is so talented if he can’t pitch in NY, some team will trade for him. I think Rodon will be comeback pitcher of the year in 2024 no worries truthfully.
Don’t worry. Y’all got Trent Grisham. He’ll be the difference. He’ll be 2024’s Aaron Boone of 2003. Game 7 PH Walk Off Grand Slam upper deck in right field. Against the Friars.
Yankees been making bad decisions for decades.
There’s nobody else worth getting. Snells peripherals stink and suggest he got very lucky. They also don’t have the high floor pitching prospects for Burnes or Cease. Our best option is Beiber and a string of several depth signings.
Super bullpen, by signing Hicks, Hader and a few other elite relievers
Yeah, outside of Cease, I’m inclined to think Cashman will defer (no pun intended) to his one strength using analytics: building a bullpen.
That said, you give me Hicks (been super high on Jordan for a few years now) and Hader, and we could have something cooking.
Dumb-dumb Boone can’t burn them out like he does every year though….
He’ll never be Joe Torre after Zimmerman left. Paul Quantrill, Scott Proctor and Tanyon Sturtze probably still have sore arms to this day.
Agree with you except for Bieber. He isn’t worth trading prospects for or spending money on. 2 seasons out of 6 with less than 30 starts (3 if you want to extrapolate the COVID season as 30 starts)
They will, they always do!!
The Yankees will be fine. Class organization.
One injured player and one unproven player in MLB okay
for a billion dollars
Plenty of options still available. Just hope all this was for a good player
Streaking: I think so. All available evidence (eye test plus analytics) points to Yoshi being a TOR arm. I think you guys got a good one.
Dang, man, I just realized that the LAD rotation, if they can stay healthy, is going to have some heavyweights. WB plus Yoshi at the top or the rotation is no joke.
Glasnow as your #3 with a developing Bobby Miller as your #4 is an elite rotation.
You throw Dustin May & maybe Kershaw in there by mid season and you really got something there.
Obviously, they can’t rely on Glasnow until he can prove he can stay healthy. But, I forgot about Miller…that dude is going to be so good. Their opening day rotation has to be considered one of the best now.
Yup. They can probably put the kid gloves on Glasnow though. Give him an IL break or 2 during the season. They’ll be good enough to get by without him. Just need to have him in October.
They’re going to be extremely tough to take out.
YC-
2024 -Yamamoto, Buehler, Glasnow, Miller, Stone/Grove/Sheehan til mid season when May and/or Kershaw arrive
2025- Yamamoto, Ohtani, Buehler, Miller, Glasnow, May, Gonsolin backed up by Stone, Grove, Sheehan, Knack, Frasso, Ryan…
Yeah, that’s a brutal rotation to face. And that’s if the LAD don’t make any more moves!
Well, I think it’s awesome for the fans. There’s no question about the management team’s desire to put an A+ product on the field and win it all. That’s awesome imho.
@clip
I think they’re done with long term contracts but an Adames/Burnes deal seems like such a great fit.
They don’t have to commit to another expensive pitcher and it rounds out the rotation for this year while Buehler pitches his first full season back and Ohtani can’t pitch.
plugs up their biggest question mark @ SS and lets Gavin Lux be used like Chris Taylor.
Man, BStro, looking at it from that perspective is interesting. They should have the prospect capital to acquire those two, and if they do something like that? Yikes, what a powerhouse they could be.
It’ll be awesome tuning in to them for sure. But, the games still have to be played on the field. I thought SD would win it all and they didn’t win with an incredible team.
Either way, what a nightmare it’ll be for the opposing NL teams this season.
Yeah, absolutely no certainties.
That bullpen could let them down (Of course they might have too many starters so that it won’t really matter) or the bats could go cold again.
I think this team is significantly better than any of those SDP teams though. You’re talking about a 100 game winner that just added all of this.
The Braves have been there and done that too though. They’re definitely no longer the favorite but that is a team that could get them.
The Yankees should sign Kershaw just to mess with them.
That’s assuming they don’t get hurt. Rays also had a solid rotation then lost Rasmussen, Springs, Baz, McClanahan.
Dodgers already have plenty of injury risk with Ohtani, Kershaw, Buehler, May and Glasnow.
Yankee Clipper;
I’m a long time Dodgers fan but there are some issues to watch carefully here.
Buehler, 2 TJ surgeries
Ohtani, 2 TJ surgeries
May, 2 TJ surgeries
Glasnow, 1 TJ surgery
Gonsolin, 1 TJ surgery
Kershaw, shoulder surgery, bad back.
This is not a shoe in.
In no way guaranteed!
IMO, a pitching staff walking on egg shells!
It doesn’t matter. they will just buy more pitchers if any of these break
Roki Sasaki coming in 2025
As a Dodger fan, thank you for kind words from most postings and let’s play ball!!!!!!
Dodger owners/Friedman had this off season in mind for years, and now capitalized!!!!
He and org had this blueprint for some time …. Dodgers and Atlanta gonna be fun watching these teams go at it next few years ….. Let’s go yanks lol plz don’t sign bellinger for 300mil
Should be fun watching the Dodgers crash and burn.
You rang? LoL.
Maybe those state farm commercials are legit.
Was that a b*tthole surfers reference? You know, Hairway to Steven?
Haha hahahaha haha
Just like the LOL Mets and LOL Padres this year
LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
1.16+B offseason is an iceberg, a beauty that is awe-inspiring for good or bad. We’ll know when we pass it.
This is perhaps one of the best illustrations of this type of offseason I’ve ever read, ClevelandSteel.
$2 the first year… $299,999,997 deferred
Some teams defer money to 1 player. Jerry defers many players from 1 lineup. Maybe we can bat with a lineup of 5? Still no RF, LF, 3B, or 2B. I think I’ll watch the Dodgers in 2024.
Well, that’s not the Yankees and that is hilarious.
Unless you’re a dodgers fan, the absolute worst case outcome for MLB was him signing with dodgers. Yankees weren’t great last year so even with him, it’s not like they’re a bona fide contendor.
I’m a Yankees fan but this is getting pretty out of hand what the large market teams (Yankees included!) are able to do. MLB needs some sort of hard salary cap and salary floor.
I agree, but I’m a red Sox fan, so still hilarious. On the bright side, the dodgers still won’t win.
First round loss. and Yamamoto tears his MCL by the trade deadline
Please never speak out for a player to be injured. It’s just not a good look. No real sports fan wants players out for injuries.
I’m fine with you wanting a team to lose, but wishing/hoping injury upon a player is gross.
@Tang It, with all the problems up there in Beantown, what do you all focus about? Well, the Yankees of course.
Not wishing injury, but the Dodgers just signed a pitcher to a 12 year contract. He will be injured. Name one current MLB pitcher, around for that long, that hasn’t been injured.
MSL
“First round loss. and Yamamoto tears his MCL by the trade deadline”
I hope you get pancreatic cancer
PoS
Muted
Misery loves company
Celtics and Bruins.
Matthew De Douchebag
filihok – you’re angry at a guy that said Yamamoto will get injured, and you’re response is advocating for a death sentence? That’s hypocritical and counterproductive. Come on, don’t make the problem worse. You don’t have to wish terrible things upon everyone you disagree with.
as an expert in losing being a Redsox fan, you make this Dodger fan worried.
Fili – you muting someone. That is rich baby!
I can’t imagine that you or any other human could wish cancer on anyone. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here. In exchange, I ask you to re read your post and realize that when you hit “post comment” or “send” that ridiculous sh—t goes out into the world for everyone to see and form an opinion about you.
You can’t undo that.
Learn and improve my friend for your own good.
The Yankees haven’t spent a single dollar on free agents this season!
I suspect this isn’t a case of the Yankees (or Mets) being outbid. It’s a case of Yamamoto wanting to be a Dodger.
Hard cap? What the heck the Yankees overspending year in and year out.
I don’t see these larger markets wanting to share their revenue. They seem to enjoy spending it on players and putting it in their own accounts and investments. They try to pay as little as they can to revenue sharing as is.
Get a better owner. A hard cap is not needed because the big teams bring in the revenue. Don’t wanna spend but want to compete? Draft and trade like the Braves.
Seems to work well in other sports. Or is this a case of Dodgers exceptionalism?
Since when were the Braves in A small market?
I am a Dodger fan and have always admired the Yankees organization. Still the class of the American League.
Fox and I see Dodgers class of NL maybe yanks make it to WS B4 ohtani n Yosh contract up and go head to head with the dodgers
Hard cap, hard floor, and full revenue sharing.
Absolutely not at all surprised.
Booooooooooo we wanted him to go somewhere interesting
As a Giants fan, the only positive I can see is that the Dodgers will get torn to shreds if they don’t win more titles with him and Ohtani than the Giants even year BS. Also, they’re the new villains of the league. But I’d so much rather they were like the feckless Ned Colletti Dodgers of ten-plus years ago :/
Lol. Colletti did suck as GM. But you knew that, and that’s why you guys sent him to us!!!
I’m thankful that the McCourt days are in the rearview mirror
Amen
Mccheap
This is our good karma payback for having to endure the years of the McCourts. I say that as plural, because his wife was an idiot too.
Dodgers games will be in even more demand. Japans most followed team. Every world series they are in will be a ratings darling.
Giants will be begging reporters to keep reporting how they were right there in getting such and such free agent.
I need to find a new favorite sport.
There’s always pickleball.
Disc golf is pretty neat
I hear the WNBA needs some more fans & your softness will fit in perfectly.
@wiseguy
You jest, but WNBA has its own Immaculate Grid, so the transition would be rather smooth.
Oh fair point.
Rugby is a real man’s sport.
Jusr watch the NFL, its way better than MLB. Actually has competitive balance, complete foreign concept w the MLB
MLB has 16 title winners since 2000. NFL has 13. Lol clueless take dude. NFL has major issues because the only position that matters is QB
But MLB has a problem in that 15 of the last 16 WS have been won by top 8 payroll teams.
Ok? At least there isn’t a major competitive financial edge in football. If you break down the stats, 80% of world series appearances have been by the top 10 spending big markets. Every city is equql in NFL financialy. NFL is just able to keep dynasties better than MLB.
Cubbies stole your manager and a local boy that gotta hurt
Synchronized Swimming
Good luck w that. The heart wants what the heart wants
All that just to lose the NLDS every year.
The Diamondbacks are loading up, haha
3 NL pennants in 6 years neon sort of destroys your “every year” nonsense
We run the MLB!!!!! 3 peat on deck!
USA! USA! USA!
If you don’t you’ll be the laughing stock of the league, as you already are for getting bounced early last year
Golfing is golfing, regardless of when it happens. Nobody had more expectations than the Dodgers last year, and they blew it. The Dodgers are wasting what has been a great opportunity.. Dave Roberts is about as bad a manager as he was a player.
Both the WS teams and 3 of the 4 CS teams were wild cards this year. Wild cards have been made stronger than ever, there isn’t a lot of shame in losing to one anymore. Believe it or not I do enjoy watching the Dodgers win every day from April to September regardless of what happens in October.
Good!!! Now go get Gumby and Clevinger!
Cole, Gumby, Rodon, Clevinger and Nestor is deeper and probably still cheaper.
I worry they will overpay for Gumby and be saddled with another Boras mistake. That said, I like Gumby and think he would be a good add to the rotation again.
Seems like everyone is getting grossly overpaid right now. At least we know who he is and that he can play in the Bronx.
Even better would be to sign Gumby AND trade for Burnes!
Cole, Burnes, Gumby, Rodon and Nestor has the potential to be disgusting
Not everyone. Martin Perez was a bargain.
You get what you pay for
He had a 4.45 era and didn’t miss many bats.
Should have never left. Especially for the “can’t miss CF” who was traded elsewhere. The Yankees don’t deserve him.
I really want Burnes or Cease truthfully along with Gumby. Cease will be cheaper then Burnes. I would love to sign a healthy Montas if that’s possible? Lol. Hader or Hicks are needed as well.
Hey, Montas as a healthy 5th guy would be amazing. I really like Cease and think Blake could help him a great deal. He really fits well into the type of pitcher Blake unlocks well.
But, yeah, you give me a Montas, Gumby, Cease offseason with a side of Soto and I’m a happy camper.
I don’t think they’d grab all 3…..but I can see one of Burnes/Cease and one of Montas, Clevinger or swinging for Monty too.
Agreed YanksPhan. I don’t believe they will either. But, until it doesn’t happen I can dream……..
The Dodgers are the new Yankees, buy every free agent, first round exit
Mostly False with Five NLCS appearances in the last Eight Years… Three World Series Appearances and a World Championship. Other than that, the Dodgers get bounced in the first round.
Still doesn’t justify the payroll. They can’t get past bottom feeders in their own division
Payroll isnt that high, they can defer until everyone is retired!
Zero rings since the 80s
2020 counts. They were the best team that year.
How about the Dodgers are this era’s Glavine/Maddux/Smoltz Braves? One David Justice homer from winning ZERO World Series despite all that talent.
Only dodger fans count the joke of 2020
Only losers try to discount a WS win that they didn’t win
Your sad jealousy is so obvious
Notice how fans of other teams say how much of losers the dodgers are, yet the dodger fans are not upset. Going to the playoffs every year, winning multiple pennants feels good. You don’t need a WS win every year to enjoy a good team.
I watched every game last season and enjoyed every second of the Dodgers 100-62 season. Yes losing in the first round of the playoffs hurt, but it was a great team in 2023 and will be extraordinary in 2024. The sad folks who piss and moan about others’ successes are their own reward.
I don’t recall the Yankees losing in the first round all that much back in their spending huge days.
I don’t recall there being as diverse amount of talent on lots of teams. The playoffs are a crapshoot.
I agree.
Well, Hal Steinbrenner has desired for the Yankees not to be the top team for years – he finally got his wish. The Yankees are not what they used to be and this proves it. Congratulations, Hal?
The pessimist in me worries about winning the off season but if this is true I’ll get over it in a hurry.
As a Rams and Dodgers Fan…
Quite the Night!
No wonder Ohtani looked so happy tonight at the Rams game
Finally, he picked a team. Let the dominoes now fall…weeee
Gotta wait on Snell next. Then Montgomery.
Well, my waffling between Yankees and Mets was wrong times two!
What a kick in the nuts for our ‘24 though….
He probably realized he would be playing for Boone and ran the other way.
I was big on Cash and Boone getting the can and Mattingly becoming manager. I was also calling for Torre to be let go 2 years prior to it happening. You just need to know when the magic runs out, or was ever there in Boone’s case.
Agree completely. Boone and Cash are way overdue for a positional change (to another org). Cashman can’t spend his way out of this one now. Soto will make a difference, but nowhere near enough. Cashman’s disgraceful roster construction and terrible trades have left this team in a disadvantageous position for several years.
He may have successfully blown the primes of Judge and Cole as well.
Seeing you dump on Dave Roberts and call for Don Mattingly in the same thread is pretty funny.
Mattingly is a poor manager.
Another predictable signing, The rich get richer while everybody else sits on their butts and watches. How many times can we watch the same 5 teams sign the best and trade for the best? It just gets boring after watching it so many times. Only people that think this is interesting are dodger fans
sounds like an “other teams” problem. What are the Dodgers supposed to do? not get better because it hurts the other teams fans feelings? Expect more from your ownership group. Dodger fans protested when McCourt was in charge and eventually change came about.
Right McGurk. I’m not a Dodgers fan but good for them. As an Angels fan, the only way Moreno is going to change is if he feels it in his bank account. But Angels fans will keep complaining as they spend millions of dollars each year on a losing team.
You completely missed the point. As a baseball fan it’s boring to watch the same teams get the best players. I’m not talking about ownership and politics. We have no control over that stuff, all we can do is sit and watch, and watching the same thing over and over again is very boring
No one missed the point. Not every has to agree with your point though.
“Rich get richer”
Everyone gets rich of this deal ! Where do u think all that tax money goes ? To other teams of course ! The Japanese team got rich and every free agent pitcher on the market left just got a raise.
Yes!!
The Dodgers are signing expensive FAs to long term contracts, exactly the opposite strategy that has defined them over the years.
Its just two players where they had a HUGE need they got a break with Shoehi deferring money. Yamamoto they had to do this for stability of the rotation.
3 this offseason alone. Glasnow is 5 years.
Well, they punted last year to do this. Freeman. Betts. This is what they do. They spend on stars.
I wouldn’t doubt seeing Buehler walk next year, being replaced by Fried.
Nah, he’ll be replaced by Sheehan or Stone. That’s why they have yet to move those guys. He’ll probably walk, but 25 is also when Ohtani is supposed to be ready to pitch again. So, I’m sure they’ll thank him, give him the gold watch and let him sign for $200 million elsewhere.
That strategy gave us one World Series win in 35 years.
If you can’t beat em, join em?
Dodgers bided their time and waited for the right players for those long term deals, starting with Mookie.
Last year’s lowkey moves were all in the name of 2024. Yet to their credit they still won 100 games mostly standing pat.
Right !
Seager > yams
Snell next to sign with the dodgers?
The Dodgers won’t be doing another big money contract, and aren’t interested in Snell. They will go for a pitcher like Giolito on a one year deal, and resign Kike’
I wouldn’t count out Hader.
Streaking Blue, they still need to address left field (sign Teoscar Hernandez), and maybe 3rd base.
Resign Kershaw?
He’s another big name free agent. How much do they give him?
Plenty of question marks!
Plenty concerns!
Why not the Yankees trade Cole to the Dodgers for Kike?
Seattle Mariners. His hometown team he’s already said he most wants to play for……
YES!!!
Yes yes yes!
Overpay
Still exciting for fams, but not for rival fans
Also, Wyatt Langford is considered a better prospect than the guy getting 300 MM. (likely with opt outs and < 11 years)
mlb.com/news/pipeline-inbox-digging-deeper-into-th…
Lol
If Langford makes the team out of spring training and stays healthy, easy ROY. Evan Carter runner up.
Mike Trout is his 90th percentile outcome. Springer is 30th, and a right-handed Sizemore is a 50th percentile outcome. I’d say a right handed Barry Bonds without PEDs (30-30/40-40 machine) is his 99th percentile outcome. I’m bracing myself to be terribly disappointed. Gallo was kind of living up to the Troy Glaus profile until that trade in 2021, with improvement expected. Hope for the best but expect the worst, I guess!
F them both.
Dodgers may not win in 2024, but they will be the most watched team
Everyone loves watching a car crash
And the most hated.
Everyone reach out to a giants fan this holiday season and make sure they’re doing alright. Be a friend, do a mental health check
We are definitely not okay haha. I had a feeling he wasn’t coming to SF from the start, but the Dodgers getting him is the worst possible outcome.
Hugs wreck720! I am glad to be a Giants fan and I’m glad you are too. F the dodgers!
Nah, we’ll be all right. The Dodgers choke more often than the usual baseball team, and between us and the Padres and DBacks, we’ll help them out with that. Over the next ten years, the Dodgers will be lucky to win the division five times. Watch!
@giacgara
Yeah but the giants would be lucky to even win 1
Right on giacgara!
Hey Agnes
How about your sorry ass giants? Loser franchise still losing out on players
Dodgers winning the division is an after-thought by now. October is the real problem….
My friend, a Giants fan, sent me this text:
“Dude. F%$# off.”
My reply:
“I guess that means we just signed Yamamoto “
The rest of you 29 team fan base better start booing when the Dodgers come to town. Ohtani has never been booed, might be his kryptonite…. But maybe not lol
Oh my, I shudder to think of Yoshi not performing well at Yankee Stadium. Our fans will destroy him if he doesn’t pitch well.
Excellent point Clipper! You are 100% correct. I can definitely see Yamamoto struggling for a few starts truthfully at lst. I do want Monty back to be our #2 in the rotation. If Cease or Burnes is traded for they would become the Yankees #2 and Gumby then would be our #3. Who do you prefer Clipp, Burnes or Cease? Obviously Burnes will cost more. Jones, Hampton, Lombard and either Gil or Beeter.
Well, honestly I think Burns is just the better pitcher. I believe the trials he went through with the Brewers had a negative impact on his performance last season. Change his scenery and he’s back to his ace-like performance, imho.
I’d love a Cole-Burns-Rodon as 1-3. I mean, that’s got to be considered among the best in the league if they did that, right?
But I do like Cease, so he’s a good consolation prize. He reminds me a lot of a SP version of Clay Homes – great stuff, but can’t locate, which is where Blake succeeds.
What do you think, my friend.
I think you are right on my friend! Let’s sign Monty for 6 years, $150 million and I’m right there with you. Trade for Burnes or Cease(cheaper) and we definitely got the AL East and over 90 wins in 2024. Then hopefully we resign Soto in 2025 for $900 million for 12 years($75 million a year) and maybe a 5th year opt out for him. What do you think?
I agree that will get us to 90+ wins. I’d love to re-sign Soto as he’s been one of my favorite players to watch (his plate discipline is out of this world). I do believe he would sign an extension for twelve years, but I think he would settle for simply being the highest paid AAV at say…..50MM/year? I’m admittedly spitballing that number. That would be a $600MM real-money contract. I could see him jumping on that.
Speaking of which, I was speaking to a pitching coach for one of the MLB organizations (our sons are in the same baseball team). He said he’s never seen anything like Soto’s discipline at the plate.
#22 in the BX!
I’ll be there on June 7-8-9. Can’t wait for the visiting team sweep.
Doneeeeeee with baseball
I don’t believe you
Bye?
Oh no don’t leave
After all the bloom crap this is what decides it for you? This was always going to be a tough bidding war and Boston was at a disadvantage to start.
Guessing Ohtani told him the best way to leverage LA using the media
Just ridiculous.
Get rid of 22 teams and just keep the teams in NY, LA, Chicago, Philly and SF.
The league is not interested in a Salary Cap or Competitive Balance for all teams.
If the owners of small market teams aren’t upset, you shouldn’t be either.
They’re happy just as long as they are making money.
Huh? Fans can’t be on a different set of opinions as the owner of their team. Interesting.
Yes lets just ignore that last years WS was Arizona Vs Texas…
So many cry babies 🙁
Dbacks were 21st in payroll and just won the NL pennant. Baseball is fine
AND the DBacks got E-Rod this offseason, so by all accounts, they should be even better.
What a baby,
MLB has 16 title winners since 2000, 3 more than any other major sport. Maybe get a clue?
Definitely contract the Florida teams and the weird ass Minnesota Twins
I guess Friedman was worried Ohtani would opt out…
I’m still convinced a roster constructed by Friedman and managed by Roberts does not have a parade, 2020*
I’m still convinced a team constructed by Zaidi and run by Kapler, er…Melvin does not have a parade.
Friedman is not the problem. Roberts, on the other hand……
Yeah, Friedman seems to be the exception to Rays FO personnel moving into big-market executive positions and not doing so well; specifically that he operates like a big market executive should, while maintaining excellent Farm building.
I do not care for many of the other Rays guys that were tapped for FO positions, like Farhan. I think they’re too narrow in scope for the resources they have. Or perhaps the ownership expects too much while giving too little?
Farhan never worked for the Rays.
Math: Was it Oak then? Same difference with the money all operations. It doesn’t translate well to big markets, imho.
I disagree here, there’s a roadmap for building October rosters that everyone else is following except Friedman. They consider October to be a small sample size tournament and build rosters that get TO October but are not necessarily built to WIN in October.
Every year they are at least one high leverage arm if not two in the pen or rotation short in October. They don’t address it and by doing so are implying Roberts will navigate a staff through the 3 rounds when he’s NEVER EVER shown he has that skill set..
Worse with the new hard trade deadline they haven’t adjusted at all in their philosophy. Buehler was injured in June of 2022, they didn’t make a move to add to their rotation that deadline OR that off-season. That is a roster with October aspirations and all 2023 ended up being was another wasted prime year of Betts/Freeman.
As far as baseball moves, every deal they’ve just done comes some risk given the large $ outlay.
Ohtani is on TJ number 2,
Glasnow has never thrown over 120 IP in a season… EVER
Yamamoto as impressive as he was in Japan, still needs to make the jump to MLB and he is not built like your traditional MLB starter. That jump includes the slightly different ball.
Have the Dodgers indicated they’ll be using a 6 man rotation? I would make some sense only in that virtually every starter they have needs to have their innings managed. Even Yamamoto has only averaged 180+ IP the past 4 years. .
Roberts showed it in both 2017 and 2020, and also made the WS in 2018 with the league’s 7th best record. I understand Giants fans’ desire to tear him down but the numbers don’t really bear that out. Also Ohtani’s most recent surgery wasn’t TJ.
Dave Roberts has strengths, running a staff simply isn’t one of them and how Friedman constructs rosters handicaps Dave . In the regular season LAD dominate lesser teams or even good teams back of the rotation starters which doesn’t require Roberts to do much in game managing. Their history in closer games is average at best and portends what often happens to them in the Playoffs.
October baseball is different, you don’t face lesser teams nor do you face back of the rotation starters who are typically kicked to the pen or even left off rosters. LAD offense suffers as result because in October good pitching beats good offense. While all those other playoff teams loaded up their pens, LAD never does.
Look at all the trade deadline deals LAD has done over the years and compare those deals to the what the teams who WON the WS did to shape their roster. Every year they do nothing but cover for injuries but never truly add MLB roster depth especially on the staff. They’ll get a platoon bat vs a high leverage reliever.
I mean seriously aren’t you pissed that neither at the 2022 trade deadline or during 2022 off-season they went out and got someone to replace Walker Buehler who was injured in June of 2022? It screwed the team in 2022 and again in 2023.
If as a fan you find 2020* acceptable that’s you. There’s no parade for winning the NL West or having a top 5 farm system. If I am player on this team I’m kind of pissed, why can’t LAD “go for it”. They don’t need to go “ALL IN” but have the farm depth to “go for it” whenever they wish. Personally I find it al very funny, Einstein is laughing too as Friedman is proving out his definition of insanity and LAD are on board with it.
Re Ohtani, he tore his UCL and had a surgical procedure his elbow. Yes the exact procedure was not disclosed, So either he had a TJ OR a brand new procedure where the outcome of the procedure isn’t commonly known. LAD just gave him a LOT of $$$ so which procedure to his elbow ligament do you think he had? I’ll take this one step further, LAD said he’d be ready for opening day, this points to TJ as this known procedure has known recovery period.
TJ involves taking a new ligament, often from the leg, and grafting it in place of the old torn elbow ligament. This is not what was done in Ohtani’s most recent procedure and he said so himself at his press conference.
Everything the Dodgers (or any successful team in any sport) do is eternally met with qualifiers from other fans. Every win is bought and every loss is a choke. When they don’t splash in FA I should be pissed for not spending resources, but when they do splash I should be ashamed for trying to buy success. You likewise can put asterisks in all your MLBTR comments, but they don’t exist in the history books, and there’s no Most Successful Teardown of Accomplishments I’m Not Happy About award.
understood you’re cool with 2020* and the LAD process that stands alone in MLB. Clearly LAD has all the parades to show to the rest of MLB they’re smarter than everyone else.
Thanks for simultaneously missing and proving my point, saves us both some grief. Happy holidays
Let’s just look at what has been disclosed. His recovery period is to hit in 2024 which follows Bryce Harper’s TJ recovery. His recovery to pitch in 2025 follows pitcher TJ recovery, Add the fact all teams were comfortable with his medicals. In front of a contract negotiation isn’t the time to try something 100% brand new.
youtube.com/watch?v=e3YFBZ_2r1Y
This video discusses the internal brace, who is a candidate and how the brace can be done as a stand alone procedure OR as sort of a hybrid Brace /TJ procedure.
It’s unlikely Ohtani got the brace only procedure, as they state TJ is the gold standard of care and brace alone is ill suited for pitchers. As they discussed in the video there are different types of tears as well, that may alone contributed to his comments “I’m not sure what it’s called, I know it was completely different from my first time, so I don’t know what you what to call it..”
Without his Dr confirming what he got I suspect it was Hybrid brace/TJ procedure.
Also the Dodgers would have to win something to be torn down. I’m just pointing at the two consistent variables during this Front Office/Manager period.
1 Front office constructs rosters designed for regular season success.
2 The dugout manager can’t translate that regular season roster in October success over a 162 game season.
The common theme throughout is the pitching staff doesn’t have enough arms. I don’t think it’s coincidence that Tampa hasn’t won a WS either.
Still could when Friedman gets fired after these huge contracts don’t get them a ws.
Giants desperately pivoting to Snell in 4…3…2…1…
More like both New York teams
IF SF pivots to Snell I hope their staff thinks they have the secret to fix his control issues. If do not, then I’d rather overpay for Bellinger vs Snell. I’d also be working to sign Giolito and/or Stroman. Their history of straightening out starters is long and impressive. NYY would love to have the SFG version of Rodon right now.
That all said, I’ve never been happy SFG didn’t match on Gausman, THAT move set this franchise backwards from which they haven’t recovered.
Not even fair for the rest of MLB teams… done with baseball.
Manfred worried about 2 seconds… meanwhile his CBA is being exploited and tv coverage is falling apart. Baseball is fu**ed!
We got Joey donuts. Don’t need you.
So joey power, supreme bacon, and boston sports 85 are all done with baseball. Hey, am I the only one writing these names down and following up?
For public safety I hope you are the only one.
I get a Drain-O feeling now the new Dodgers have signed. FA market is gonna flow
OMFG A THING HAPPENED!!
And the rich get richer.
Technically they get poorer, but I get what you mean.
Richer talent wise.
Dodgers are so desperate to win because they know 2020 was fake.
I’d sign up for that “fake” in a second, as would every other team.
The only thing fake in 2020 was the “Pandemic” and MLB using it to their advantage…
They Live There are 3,000,000 middle fingers pushing up through the graveyards in your direction.
Wipe that orange spooge off of your chin, Live.
You are the expert 45
Desperate take but go for it.
Damn. Price of Dodger Dogs just went up even further.
I don’t think so. Ohtani moved the needle enough on his own. Not much to move after that.
Get the all beef dog. Dodger dogs are like baloney sandwiches.
The Dodgers are going to be REALLY GOOD…
Next year.
Not so bad this year either.
Too bad the rest of the league is unwilling to spend money.
7 teams were in on this dude. All of them willing to spend.
The article clearly states that the Mets made the same offer.
If all of this has been in response to their early playoff exit, I’d hate to see what happens if the same thing happens next year.
White flag sell off rebuild.
Could this be a Jays winning Ohtani fiasco?
I knew it was all talk about Yankees being the Favorites.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the team that now 29 other fan bases will be rooting to see lose and will end up gloating if the Dodgers fail to win the WS.
Dodgers were kind of already there before this move.
Great for baseball
12 years to a pitcher is dumb. Should never go over 7 years with a pitcher. It rarely works out.
And a pitcher with no mlb track record.
Exactly! So aren’t you happy that the Dodgers took the hit so that your team wouldn’t have to?
How much is Scherzer making at age 40?
Pretty sure this is not official until morosi flubs up the details
While I wanted him on the Yankees, that’s a lot of money for a person who has never thrown a pitch in even the minors… Ohtani and ichiro the only Japanese players to duplicate their numbers in the majors
Matsui wasn’t half bad, and was VERY clutch
Kuroda, Saito
I’m shocked I tell you, shocked. Well not really.
The Dodgers just laid out 1 Billion Dollars on two players.. Amazin’.
Two players a billion dollars this sport is a joke
Actually if they can afford to pay players that much money the sport is fine
Ohtani was the big Ahi Tower, Yamamoto was the Mochi at the end.
As a Phillies fan I would have rather seen him sign with the Mets. What the hell are you doing Cohen??
I’m sure Cohen offered something close if not more. Dude wants to play in LA.
How could things go wrong for the Dodgers. Wait and see, because they will.
Speaking from experience, eh?
Wow. What a surprise…not.
Redsox have made me hate baseball man .. so done with these BS super teams and def have had enough of the redsox BS
…Because they did sign a pitcher for 12 years and 325 million…
What’s taking the Dodgers so long to sign Snell and Hader? They have to start getting their team together so they can court Soto next year.
Watching them choke is just going to get funnier and funnier.
Baseballpun, Wouldn’t count on that at this juncture amigo! They are going all the way =)
Dodgers are now America’s most hated baseball team. What happened to the days of player development with the Dodgers? THey are buying their ticket to several titles.
Why even play this season? Nobody beating that team
Um…doesn’t a team have to win multiple championships first to become the most hated?
Yeah because a team with almost half the salary in the same division could never even make it to the WS… wait… never mind.
Seriously, every invincible team at the beginning of the offseason always ends up facing the reality that anything can happen in the postseason.
@Sabermetric Acolyte
Thank goodness this is baseball and MLB instead of a league like the NBA where when there’s a Superteam, the season is already over before it started. All Superteams in MLB get is more airtime on E!SPN and FOX Sports.
Dodgers can take this Superteam, win 120 games next year, but if they lose in the Division Series to say the D-Backs again or another team like the Marlins or Reds, nobody will blink an eye because they wouldn’t be the first and they won’t be the last.
I bet they lose more games this year than last. But their playoff rotation, if healthy, is looking pretty good.
Tell last years Dodgers team that
They still develop players. Just instead of keeping them they trade them for your teams stars.
I still think Atlanta and Philly could be better than LA this year
all this just to choke in the playoffs once again
Long time Dodger fan here. I appreciate their willingness to spend money and replenish their arms. HOWEVER, just like SoFi, Dodger Stadium will now become out of reach for us workiong class schlubs.
Ohtani already did that. This guy a fraction of that. They can sign Snell Hader Bellinger and it won’t squeeze out much more.
Moto was basically just super duper locking down the Japan market and they needed a arm.
Toronto has also raised their prices to a point where you can’t take your kids to a game. They’ve priced themselves aiming for the suits and executive’s who take their clients and potential customers out. Unless you sit up in the rafters.
Good thing Ohtani was never en route
Nah. Still be able to get tickets in that big cavern. Besides more Dodger wins = more free Jack!
What is a working class schlub in Southern CA? An investment banker?
Thanks Ohtani. Nothing funnier than all the sad Yankees and Mets fans and also the whining from fans of teams with owners too greedy or cheap to spend.
Actually, nothing funnier will be the dodgers flaming out in the first round as they always do
Let’s go DOD-GERS!!!
$67 micheladas
well, you might as well trade for Burnes now and finish the off-season you have going for you Dodgers… absolutely ridiculous how deep this team is
Oh it’s very top heavy. The orioles are deep they just need an ace.
Ohtani blew out his elbow twice in the 1st six years in the States.
And the Dodgers still will not win the World Series lol
I agree.
Just isn’t fair (crying emoji)
I hate the Dodgers. They now make the Yankees almost lovable…almost.
Thankful that the Dodgers aren’t in the AL! Lol
Hope they all choke on the smog out there
Sasaki is going to make more. That’s crazy.
Only if he waits another couple years. He would be just like Ohtani when he first came to the US if he gets posted now.
Well, Steve Cohen can still get him if he just buys the Dodgers.
He tried and failed to buy the Dodgers before settling for the Mets. People seem to forget that.
Welp. Some folks prefer the west coast weather and lifestyle. Some love NYC – many examples of players who lived in Manhattan and really soaked up all the city had to offer. For others that population density and if you struggle – being yelled at in 50 different languages is not so appealing
Some just prefer the Midwest. That’s me.
Give me Pittsburg or Cincinnati any day over NYC or LA. I have lived and or worked in all four cities. The glamour and glitz of NYC and LA are far outweighed, in my experience and opinion, by the negative aspects of the two cities which are fat too numerous to list here.
hahahahahaha. oh boy.
Put catsup on stringy noodles and call it chili
Dodgers are going to dominate this first decade, not gonna lie, but the decade after that, my Giants will also not be as good.
Padres will dominate the NL West. Can’t make assumptions based on these overpays and media brainwashing.
Get to 84 wins first, padre
m.youtube.com/watch?v=6qCG2MxHYV4 (Link to the Friar Podcast of the recent signing of our new closer). (Matsui). Via- NBC 7 San Diego Metro Local News.
Great now baseball is a waste of time, cool
12 years that’s crazy!!
12 years and over $300 million for a guy that hasn’t pitched one inning against MLB caliber hitting in a MLB lineup in a MLB season?
Is it just me?
No. It’s not…
Highest paid pitcher in the league without even throwing a pitch in the mlb, that’s just nuts
If he goes 7-12 with 4.65 ERA there will be concern
@Brew88
I figure that he’d certainly have to be putting up some good numbers by his age-28 season, then posting up good numbers through his age-33 season for this to make sense. But if he fails, and posts numbers similar to what you post here, yeah, it’s gonna get ugly real fast.
How long before Ohtani had his 1st Tommy John after coming to MLB?
@marlinsfanbase,,,,,,, I know and when Cole was a free agent, Friedman said he just couldn’t see offering pitchers that kind of money and for all those years.
Buyin that ring
Worked for Texas.
Not even close to the same for TX over 80% of that roster was home grown or traded for.
Please stop. They didn’t win the World Series because of their homegrown roster. Those rings were bought and paid for. And I commend Texas for spending smartly. That’s baseball.
@No_purpose19
Buying that ring? This is MLB; not the NBA. Superteams aren’t guaranteed anything in MLB except more airtime.
12 and 325???? Lol. Thank you Cashman for not being a total idiot and matching that.
Hey, it isn’t everyday you have to commend both NY teams on the same day for not making a move that would’ve landed them the headlines in NY. Congrats to both the Yankees and Mets. And an even bigger congrats if Yamamoto does not live up to the hype or contract.
Whew, 12 years and over $300 million. If that doesn’t work out, that’s gotta hurt any team, no matter how much money they have.
Rodon?
We can certainly bash Rodon, but that was not 12 years. Dear goodness, if this fails, how does a team dodge (pun intended) 12 years of major money for a dud?
Its been one year with Rodon. See how the next few go
Look, I certainly hope the kid does well. He seems like a good guy. BUT, the odds of a 5’10 165 lb Smurf throwing splitters with a heavier ball and less rest lasting for 12 years is extremely slim. After Pedro, how many aces that small have there been? The odds aren’t in the Dodgers favor that this won’t be an albatross.
I’ve been saying all along I’d rather trade for Burnes and sign Gumby. Now get it done Cash!
With trio of: Yu Darvish/Joseph Musgrove, and Mike King (with top prospect Drew Thorpe on the way). The Smell-A Dodgers CANNOT get cocky.
I wonder what the AAA Dodgers OKC new team name will be…
Las Vegas A’s
I thought it couldn’t get worse than the George Steinbrenner Yankees or Steve Cohen Mets… guess I was wrong.
I actually think it’s better now because more teams are spending. In Steinbrenner’s day, he was the only one doing it.
for God sake I can’t wait for them to lose
New League alignments: A League: Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Mets, Cubs, Phillies, Rangers, Astros. B League: the other 22 teams plus two expansion clubs. The leagues have separate World Series
4 of those teams didn’t make the playoffs last season
That has nothing to do with it. Those eight teams are the over spending cancers on the rest of the league
How are the Astros overspending ?
You left a number of 2023 playoff teams off this list. I also love how people act like this is new. Baseball was always this way.
Making the playoffs has nothing to do with driving up the cost of the game. The eight teams that I listed are in a league of their own when it comes to over spending. Let them play each other and the other 22 teams plus two expansion teams will get along fine without them
It happens, but there’s no direct correlation to payrolls and ticket prices. In fact, ticket prices are sometimes controlled by outside vendors.
The Cubs who’ve won 2 world series in like 1000 years. Why not the Marlins?
Whoa, Ohtani, Glasnow, and Yamamoto. If people think the Dodgers are going to be good in 2024, just wait until 2025 when Ohtani pitches, and they get a full year from Buehler.
A pretty good chance their bad post season luck is going to change.
2 pitchers coming off their 2nd Tommy John surgeries and a pitcher with Glass his own name. Huge question marks
My mistake. Ohtani’s wasn’t a complete Tommy John. Still the injury risk is significant and undeniable
Also Buehler is a free agent after next season.
Congrats to everyone’s new favorite team to hate. Karma gonna bring them more injuries than the Angels
Mb2
“Congrats to everyone’s new favorite team to hate. Karma gonna bring them more injuries than the Angels”
1) Interesting screen name for this taek
2) karma doesn’t exist
3) why would they have bad karma?
And the rich get richer, is 323 million deferred?
Dave Roberts
I still think the Braves are a better more rounded team.
Keep telling yourself that.
I’m not a Braves fan but they are young and full of elite talent for a long time. The dodgers just signed two injured players and a pitcher to a twelve year deal. What could go wrong with that?
Yeah, because the team with the highest payroll always wins the World Series. Just ask the eight teams with higher payrolls than the Rangers!
The Tigers could have done $27M.
Why lock that it in? Must have opt outs…..
The Rangers won because they spent money too. Remember Seager and others.
Except who wants to live in stinky Detroit for 12 years. Just sayin’
2 of them I believe
With 30 teams in the league the top 2 free agents should NEVER go to the same team. I don’t care if it is the Dodgers, Yankees, Twins, or Marlins. It just ain’t right.
The other teams offered the same
He chose the Dodgers.
Free will/free market
Rich teams shouldn’t have all the power, but players shouldn’t have all the power either. We don’t need MLB to become like the NBA where players collude to form a handful of super teams and the rest of the league is just fodder. Well I guess MLB is already sort of like that now.
Brian Cashman sure is committed not winning once again too scared to be the Evil Empire and settling on being the first order like the sequel trilogy
They had an offer. It’s not like he didn’t try.
Yes they actually did try and their offer: had a higher AAV, offered more money in the first five years and had an earlier opt out.
Why am I not surprised?
Holy overpay Batman
Nope. 15 mill to Seth Lugo and 16 mill to Wacha is overpay
Not really compared to this. The Dodgers have just put over a billion dollars into two players. One just had Tommy John and the other hasn’t thrown one MLB pitch.
Wonder how Glasnow feels about his deal now?!
The Dodgers continue to be one of the best run organizations in all of sports. The revenue that Ohtani and Yamamoto will bring will be crazy
I really love baseball, I really do.
But when I see these outrageous contracts, I can’t deny that a part of me hopes that the Dodgers fans come to regret both of these deals.
southi
“But when I see these outrageous contracts, I can’t deny that a part of me hopes that the Dodgers fans come to regret both of these deals.”.
What’s wrong with the contacts?
Contacts are a pain, glasses are cheaper and easier.
good grief!
sign Imanaga, Snell, Montgomery, trade for Burnes, Cease.
coax Fernando out of retirement. exhume Koufax, and finish the job.
as a Red Sox fan (not that the Sox were likely seriously in the conversation for Yamamoto…but hey, Dodgers, thanks for 2018)- at least it’s not the Yankees.
unreal.
Koufax is still alive, dude. Come on.
Finally someone now to compete with the Phillies & Braves, all throwing the money around. The Mets just have to keep dumpster diving and at least their minor league teams will rule. It’s really disappointing being a Mets fan, I thought we had a real chance at Yamamoto, but that’s life. We’ll be fighting the Nats for last place again. All I have to say. Good luck Dodgers.
Didn’t many believe that the Mets win the last off season???
Not every big off season translates into success during the season.
The Braves are not big spenders in free agency, not since Ted Turner owned them. The foul and inept corporation that owns the team only cares about making money, just like all of greedy corporate America
And what should they care about? Of course they care about making money.
And I believe that the Braves are one of the biggest spenders in 2024 in all of baseball (by CBT purposes).
FML
We will be fine.
Shotta !
=)
I’ve always kept the faith, compadre
Can’t wait to see King in that SP role. He’s plain nasty with his stuff. You guys will love him.
They just threw over 1B at two players.
“Can I write check?” – Yao Ming
Will be fascinating to see who aggressively pivots to Imanaga. They might wind up the low key real winners of off-season
Insane…
They are going to get booed, lustily, wherever they go. And for every stumble that Ohtani and Yammamoto experience they will be hooted at in derision.
Nah, it’s gonna be fun. And not even a Dodger fan. Lighten up Frances
12years over 300M is actually a well rounded deal. 1M per full season start is below market. He’s expected to be ab9ve market. Gives him leeway on an injured season or two + decline. Let’s see the US side make their moves with trades and FA!
I guess having Shohei and a Japanese manager helped more than I thought it would. When the NY teams were granted a 2nd interview, I assumed that Yoshi was trying to decide between them. Then, he breaks a date with Shohei for a Ram game and it sounded like the end of LA’s chances. It turns out that he was too busy dotting i’s and crossing t’s on his new Dodger contract.
Still have to win the games.
The Dodgers 2040 payroll was already $84 million before signing Yoshi…what will it be now?
Well deferred money on this deal or not, baseball allowing teams to put some payroll essentially on a “credit card” is not what we all envisioned, and further divides the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’!
That’s awfully clever because according to that dystopian action chick flick that came out in 2040 LA is in flames and a pirate patch Kurt Russell is fending off scavengers while trying to reach the oasis. So good plan!
Nonsense, Snake is going after a flash drive that shuts down the world. The Dodgers should keep spending! Blizken is going to bail them out by taking out everything.
No deferred money. Now everyone can stop crying.
Go Blue!!!!!!
Now trade for Corbin Burnes and collect some WS trophies.
F the Dodgers. A teams ownership worth well over $300 billion can buy whoever they want every year and in the process ruin the game. Whatever happened to the commissioner having a pair and enacting in the best interest of baseball clause? The only hope is that Dave Roberts keeps screwing up the playoffs. The over/under is set at 40 for how many times espn shows Dodgers games
Have fun crying about it all year.
F the Dodgers, and F Jackie.
My daughter is a weak little girl and she wouldn’t say something that disgusting.
This is good for baseball! Jack… off
Great for baseball
It’s another great business move by the Dodgers. Every Dodger game will be broadcast live in Japan, and raking in cash for Merchandise and Licensing.
Just WOW‼️
If I’m the Yanks now, knowing that the Dodgers just paid $300M for a dude that’s never thrown a pitch in MLB, I circle back to Snell. So what if he’s only good for 6 innings. He’s a Cy Young winner and would make a great #2 after Cole. How about 4 for $100M and then add Matt Chapman and…we’re good.
Right with you on getting Snell for 4/$100mm. But, he is on record saying he wants $200mm.
What a sad day for baseball.
Unless you’re in LA. Then it’s like that star war tot who later became bad says before racing his tricycle: “yippee!!!”
Great day for baseball
Sometimes the Dodgers win the off, usually win the regular, always lose the post
These people who comment on all this are whining little babies! If your team’s owners wanted to spend the money, they would…. but they don’t wanna because their million dollar mansions, personal chefs, hot hookers and Limo drivers are more important – Don’t blame the MLB or the MLBPA. Blame your Owners!! C’Mon Man!! MLB Owners are RICH!! Their priorities are skewed. Plain and simple folks…
Except that other teams offered similar money and this guy didn’t want to play for them.
Several organizations try to win championships by purely outspending the others, the Dodgers are the the most opulent example of such
There’s no crying in baseball but plenty in baseball comments and tweets.
I’ll always remember Mark MacGuire crying like a baby on national television.
Their personal wealth has nothing to do with what the business generates. They didn’t get to be billionaires by operating a business at a loss.
2/3rds of team don’t have the massive local TV contracts to afford these large contracts the large markets have driven into the stratosphere.
The $325mm figure is not a coincidence. It’s 1 million more than the previous total dollar contract for a starter. That would be Gerrit Cole. That effectively capped the Yankees offer. They could not surpass what the newly crowned AL Cy Young winner got. At least not without him signing off on it.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
But all of this wouldn’t be possible without the 68mill deferred income. Have a feeling the rest of the owners will be all over Manfred.
Good to see but bad for baseball as a whole.
Great for baseball
Here’s the thing:
the Dodgers don’t need to win a single World Series for this to become the most wildly successful offseason since the Yankees helped bring No, No Nanette to the stage.
Sure, it’ll be so much the better for Guggenheim et al. if they do, but this isn’t about winning rings.
It’s about becoming Japan’s MLB team. And that’s why the money spent on Ohtani & Yamamoto will look like a bargain when they decide to sell a chunk of the Dodgers to e.g. a group of Japanese investors.
Ohtani already had a small army of Japanese media following his every in-season move; that army was only going to grow because of the higher profile of the Dodgers.
What do all media desperately want & need? Content.
The Dodgers just effectively doubled the sources of & occasions for content in Japan. They’re going to be ubiquitous in the Japanese media ecosystem. Not as big as Apple, Coke, or Nike, maybe, but *huge*.
~ at least I think so?
Dodgers just became the world’s most popular team that they will never sell a piece of. Cash flow machine.
That seems to be the plan. It is a money business more than a WS business.
All international broadcast rights are owned by MLB. Any money is split equally by all 30 teams just like national TV contracts are.
Licensed merchandise sales is split 1st with the union and what is left is split evenly by all 30 teams.
The Dodgers will get a small bump in ticket sales and a big one in local sponsorship money. They can’t have a big bump in ticket sales because their attendance is already so high.
Well this isn’t America. All the billions going to overseas in war. Then now the biggest signings are of millions going to Japan. While millions starving kids go without gifts, parents, and many other things this kind of money could go to. The mlb and players have a union & can go on strike make the prices that people will pay for watching a game or buying apparel. If the fans or people in general of this world population said this is what we will pay to watch or buy apparel. Then they would have to rely on us as well & not be able to set prices so high and pay players this much. Remember they only get power from people that kneel & give into them. Not enough people doing enough about this. So many under paid workers in the world, so many things that could be. The fans & general public should start making a stance and not show up to the stadiums. Your only supporting what is a evil empire.
So guessing first round of beers will not be on Jay?
I thought this was America
Sir, this is a Wendy’s drive thru
There is no ehtical consumption under capitalism.
$325M for a cat that has never thrown a pitch in MLB. What happens if he gets lit up in his first 2-3 starts? I’ll tell you what happens: the buzzards start circling. They’ll be all sorts of variations on the theme of “worst sport contract ever”.
He’s a cat? Yikes. We got our cat thinking he’d help out with security and the occasional errand but all he does is wake us up at 3 am wanting to play fetch and then runs to hide under the bed when the doorbell rings.
After 2-3 starts? That’s a fart in the wind, my dude.
No, you’re thinking of Tony Gonsolin.
MLB is broken
Don’t forget about the 50 million dollar posting fee!
Ouch
I hope it’s a good couple of years for the Dodgers. They will be the Yankees in many more ways in a few years.
Definitely will be shirts and apparel coming out and youtube videos by the loads . It will be how not to live your life and how to get away from sports and go enjoy your life in nature and other places with family friends and nature. Stop the power supply leave them owners and mlb and other sports broke. I mean thats why the world has beaches, lakes, woods, hobbies for health, restaurants, museums, so many things that can’t be listed. Then to sit in a plastic chair pay 20 dollars a beer , hotdog for few hours gas money to get to the game. Hotel if needed. Not worth it. It’s only business people are allowing them to get away with
Unless you’re in LA. Then fun! Fun fun in the sun sun sun!
12 only? Thats beginning stuff. They should have gone to 75 years.
The salary cap is a big joke in baseball now. One more lost and disinterested now.
JG
“The salary cap is a big joke in baseball now”
There is no salary cap in baseball
Hahaha
Well, let’s take a look. Now they have 2 good pitchers, who can pitch every 5 games. And as for Ohtani, they only improved about 8-9 home runs, and actually a bit less in RBI. So short term it isn’t as scary good as people are making out to be.
Good point about the diminished rbi total. How bout his batting avg. And how many more pitcher wins? Will this help Wes Parker and Rick Rhoden when they face Danny Lemaster and Ty Cline?
If we could draft worth crap we wouldn’t be in this mess. Why Farhan doesn’t fix our draft dept is beyond me.. Heck, I wouldn’t choose the no-farm no-talent Giants either, but kudos to the Dodgers for figuring it all out..
How much did he turn down?
OK, I’m still trying to digest the logic in this move, so I’m calling on both sides of the usual split in our collective fan philosophies – eyeball test guys and analytics/stats guys.
Eyeball test guys, what are your thoughts on this deal?
Analytics/stats guys, what are your thoughts on this deal?
I’m an eyeball test guy, so I’ll cast in my one thought. Eyeball test and history of knowing the game tells me that you don’t gamble this many years and that amount of money until you’ve seen how the guy looks against MLB hitters, in a lineup of MLB starting players, in a full MLB season. Many guys in the history of the game have had tools, but have not been able to cut it against the other best talent in the world. I would never take a gamble like this.
Ask the financial guys. The Dodgers own the Japanese market now. Half of Japan will be wearing Dodgers jerseys.
Clearly it’s gotta be about the money and return on investment because it’s not a sound baseball decision.
I also am now wondering, upon thinking about this, if the Dodgers owners/investors aren’t doing this move and the Ohtani move along with what they already had as a way to max the value of the Dodgers for a potential sale of the team or stocks. When Loria intended to sell the Marlins, his tell that something was up was when he signed Stanton to that ridiculously long contract, then overpaid for Martin Prado and a few others, and signed Wei Yin Chen, and other pieces. He deferred a lot of the money to the year after he knew he’d sell the team, after he got the All Star Game in Marlins Park. This Dodgers thing has the odor of something similar.
That helps baseball as a whole, but the Dodgers only get 1/30th share of that.
MFB
“I’m an eyeball test guy, so I’ll cast in my one thought.”
You’re never seen him pitch
You’re not a scout
Why would anyone care what your eyeballs say?
@filihok
What does his MLB stats against MLB lineups in and MLB season for his analytics say?
Um…waiting to see how your stats analysis justifies your opinion.
MFB
“Why would anyone care what your eyeballs say?”
You didn’t answer this question
You’ve never seen him play. Why would anyone care what your eyes tell you about him?
@filihok
OK, I’ll answer it in a simpler way than I did before…just for you.
My eye ball test has not seen him face an MLB lineup, filled with MLB starting players, throughout the course of an MLB season. Therefore, that is my eye ball test that questions him getting this money.
Now your turn. What is your statement about this topic, or are you just here with no substance with only the motivation to troll?
Are you a stats guy that has any pertinent information about his performance against MLB lineup, filled with MLB starting players, throughout an MLB season?
I f-ing hate the Dodgers. There really needs to be a slary cap.
Better a salary floor. Force cheap owners to spend or sell to someone who will.
If this guy fails, would you really hate the Dodgers then?
As for the Salary Cap, I’ve always been for a Cap & Floor system. I’ve tempered on it though since the 6-team per league Playoff format kind of offsets the discrepancies since 2/3rds of MLB teams, regardless of market, can realistically make the postseason…and when you can make the postseason, you can realistically win it all in MLB. Due to so many teams being able to make the Playoffs now, it doesn’t matter as much if you’re one of the largest markets or one of the smallest markets. See this past year when the three team in the Southeastern U.S. and the two in Texas made the postseason – which when you think further, both Florida teams and both Texas teams made the postseason, but neither NY team or the Boston team or either Chicago teams made the Playoffs. And also only one of the California teams made the Playoffs – one of the two Los Angeles teams. So despite there being two Los Angeles teams (five total teams in California), two Chicago teams, two NY teams and a team in Boston, there were more teams that made the Playoffs from Florida, Texas, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Arizona. Oh yeah, and the last two World Series Champions are from Texas, and three of the last four World Series participants are from Texas and Arizona. Again, while I’m all for a Cap & Floor system, the current Playoff format has sort of remedied the problem. And even for the last couple of seasons before the current Playoff format, more can be seen in the balance.
I’m more for a salary cap system to even out the teams and to assure that know team is constantly in a winning or losing state (more emphasis on the former). Look at the NFL, there’s not a single team that can be compared to the the Yankees or Dodgers who are consistently good. Sure there’s teams like the Patriots that have had long-lasting dynasties, but even they have been struggling recently. Teams that have been good for the past couple years like the Chiefs weren’t nearly as successful before Mahomes came in. The salary cap is more so to even out the playing field so those stuck-up Yankees and Dodgers fans don’t enjoy success every year.
The MLBPA will never go for it.
To add, we know that MLBPA will never go for a Cap, while the owners will never go for a Floor.
Until some miracle happens, I think the current Playoff set-up of six teams in each league somewhat has remedied the issue.
So they have signed a guy who can’t play for atleast a year. And may not be able to hit and pitch in the same season ever again. He has had the same major injury twice now. So he will not be hitting and pitching the same season for much longer at best. l think that is the most absurd signing ever. And the other guy has never pitched in the major leagues. And they signed him for 12 years? They just spent a billion dollars on two players that are both guesses as of now. Crazy.
I would have loved for the Yankees to have gotten Yamamoto. But they will be fine without him.
Yup those players are bums Noone wanted them.
He can’t *pitch* for a year – he will be hitting just fine.
That’s OK. Farhan gave us Stripling to match.up and Hanniger to match up with Ohtani. Maybe Farhan does not need a manager who can draw free agents, maybe it is him who is the trouble. Who wants to come to a team that plays the game on a computer and in a city inhabited by left wing wackos. Japanese culture is much different than the SF culture.
Just here reading the comments and singing you make a grown man cryyyyyy
Mets dodged another bullet. They would have paid him through his age 37 season. There’s a moderate injury risk and he really didn’t perform well in the playoffs, so much so that they didn’t even let him pitch again in the 2022 Japan series after he collapsed in the 5th and 6th in Game 1
His playoff record is not very good
Mechanically might have problems with his elbow soon, and the pitch clock might be a factor. They don’t have a pitch clock in Japan
Paying $325 million for a 25 year old pitcher with a moderate injury risk through his age 37 season is really not the soundest policy
And what if the polish of his stuff/velo wears off as is typical of pitchers when they hit 26 or so?
His stuff could end up flat and heavy without the dominance he had in Japan plus a velo loss
Lmao. You don’t have to drag a player just because he didn’t sign with your team. Good lord, man.
Whatever. At 27m a year you can sign two starters for the next 12 years and it’s worth more wins
The difference between Yamamoto and Adrian Houser isn’t much. In 25 starts the Mets might go 15-10 with Yamamoto vs 13-12 with Houser
Star players aren’t the huge difference makers people believe they are
Then why were the Mets in on him and bidding right to the end? Think they know something you don’t?
Ahh, the appeal to authority fallacy again
Oldie but a goodie
Well, balls.
This is what is ruining baseball. How do the low market teams even compete?! Fans of what baseball is supposed to be about are slowly going to lose interest in watching the same teams every year in the playoffs. That much talent on one team is not right for baseball. It doesn’t necessarily mean championships as we’ve seen teams like that bow out early before but it certainly on paper puts them in a better position than most teams.
I could see them being booed every game they play on the road which this baseball fan won’t feel an ounce sorry for.
A lot of money for a player who has not thrown one pitch on MLB soil. Pretty risky to say the least.
Where were you when the the Mets, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, etc. overspent the last few years? Dodgers let some of their best players walk to put themselves in this position. Time will tell if they made the right investments.
This is what is ruining baseball not fair; pretty risky a lot of money for someone who has not thrown one pitch on MLB soil. Pick a lane, man
What exactly is MLB soil?
The “small-market” Brewers and Rays advance to the postseason regularly. Even the lowly Oakland A’s advanced just a few years ago as division champions. With the watered-down playoffs, this is even less of a concern. Stop whining.
This and the Ohtani signing are helping baseball.
The 2023 World Series between the Rangers and Diamondbacks was THE lowest rated World Series on record, so apparently folks don’t want to watch 2 mid market teams either.
Dodgers are quite used to the lame “Beat LA” chants they hear on the road. The Pantone 294 traveling Dodgers fan group can make plenty of noise at away games and there’s lots of Dodgers fan across the country. If any teams fans want to give up a chance to see Ohtani, Yamamoto, Freeman, and Betts, that their choice and tough luck, more tickets available and cheaper too for interested fans.
A lot of people are going to turn away from baseball now. I’m not a hater I’m just a realist.
Nah, people didn’t turn away from basketball when Durant went to Golden State. They didn’t turn away when the Yankees had a dynasty. Stop your crying and hope your team owners decide to spend their billions. Baby.
People did turn away from the nba and the Yankees were home grown for the most part
Kershaw, Miller, Buehler, Outman, Lux, Smith, Barnes (someone take him please), Stone, and Sheehan are all homegrown.
Taylor, Muncy, and Heyward, all gotten on the cheap and rehabbed into above-average major leaguers.
More people will be watching. Player salaries will increase.
Wrong … the whole world will be watching now.
to paraphrase Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck “What you don’t know about baseball is a lot.”
Seems like a lot of dough for a guy who has never thrown a pitch in north America, wish him well though!
Ok. Dodgers have something big cooking on biz front. Has to be.
Marketing-wise, they’ll make a ton of money. Not so sure about the on-field success….
Oh gee. I think the Dodgers will be good. Think they can make the playoffs if things break right.
I really hope this guy becomes a bust.
What did he ever do to you?
how kind
Not good for MLB.
It’s greattttttttt!!!!!
Anyone BUT the Yankees !
Since 2010 San Francisco , 3 Giant Rings , Dodgers 1 pinky ring .
Dodgers future is very bright.
Over/Under: 4.30 ERA in 2024
I think his first year may work in his favour due to hitters never facing him before but his second year could be like Manoah’s 2023 campaign. Time will tell…..
To all you cry babies talking about a salary cap. Just look up the wealthiest MLB owners. Dodgers aren’t even the top team. Dodgers just chose to spend money while other owners just want to profit. Gonna hate on a player because he wants to play to win. I’m a Dodgers fan I wouldn’t care if either of them chose to play for another team.
They’re grown men and make decisions on their own or y’all just mad cause someone is telling you where to go to work and making decisions for you.
Time for you babies to go to sleep…
Dodgers are owned by one of the biggest hedge funds in America. I’m pretty sure they’re the richest. Not that it matters. They can outspend everyone because they have the highest revenue, not because of the owners.
Stfu loser
Owners don’t usually spend their own $.
They got the top 2 free agents and the top terrible trade target pitcher. Bud Selig bailed them out in 2012 because of the ownership’s incompetence while letting the Wilpons destroy the Mets. I’m fkg done for next year. I will not watch a single game.
Don’t worry… they’ll lose in the first round
2nd round. They won’t be playing in wild card round.
The Dodgers have set the video game to super easy, can’t lose, ages 5 and under!!!!
People say well it’s not my money and I don’t care I want Yamamoto. But it matters how much money is going into the luxury tax. It’s 27m a year.
You’re basically blasting one of your 3
Or 4 allotted spots for 30m free agents on an injury risk pitcher
Then the back five years of the contract becomes a problem
And they raise ticket prices… so it is partly your money.
Question is are they done spending on Free Agents and making trades
Yes! Can the rest of the teams play now?! Lol.
Wow!! These comments. There’s less whining and crying in a kindergarten class!
I think just a lot of Dodger haters in this crowd. You either love them or hate them and not really much in between.
On a different note I wish the owners would upgrade their stadium or build a new one. Out of all the ballparks I’ve been to that one is honestly the most rundown stadium of them all. Kind of a sad facility to play in regardless of the historical significance of it.
As a longtime Dodger fan, dodger stadium is perfect the way it is. No need for a new stadium.
Don’t know when the last time you’ve been to Dodger Stadium but Guggenheim spent over $400M over past 8 years to renovate the stadium, including $100M in 2019-2020. The park is modern enough without losing the charm and architectural features it well known for. It’s drawing 47,000+ now and likely will average close to 50,000 with Ohtani and Yamamoto now onboard. The one thing they may have to do is expand the press box and press row to accommodate all the Japanese press coverage.
As a Mets fan I’m relieved they didn’t get him. Would have been a lot of drama with the huge contract plus everyone worried about injury. Then the back 5 years is going to be a bad contract
As a Mets fan it must be a relief that so many other teams have more talent. Whew what a load off your mind.
There’s a $50 Million sign on bonus bro. $50 Million extra just to sign your frieken name on a piece of paper
How many months (perhaps a year) before we hear that Ohtani and Yamamoto preplanned this entire thing 6 months in advance.
No collusion, nothing to see here. I mean, its not like that Laker guy who shall remain nameless didnt do this on two different teams, why act surprised?
That’s a lot of money for a dude who never thrown a pitch in the mlb.
My God. Dodgers are on the hook for 27 mill a year for 12 years if he doesn’t pan out.
And even if he flames out as a starter and becomes a good pen piece 27 mill is still a lot for a pen guy.
Well, in 12 years. 27 million will be cheap for a good closer! Lol.
Idk if paying a 37 year old 27 mill is wise regardless of whatever year it is
True – but I’ll bet you he’s opted out long before we get there – absent career ending injuries.
Considering the majority of his money is on the back end doubt he opts out especially if he sucks.
And the rich get richer. No excuse for not winning it all in 2024, that’s for sure. Should be a fun ride!
Anything less than a WS will make them a laughingstock of the sport with this kind of lineup. Will be interesting to see how it plays out in 2024.
Well at least he apparently be paying income taxes unlike Ohtani the tax cheat.
Yeah I doubt california and the united states federal gov let’s ohtani avoid paying taxes on 680 million dollars.
Regardless of baseball I think the state and feds do something next 10 years to prevent that from happening and tax it as much as possible.
Ohtani won’t be avoiding taxes. Taxes are paid where they are earned, not where your residence is. All the deferred salaries and 70% of his non-deferred salaries will be earned in California.
Ohtani is either a genius and first to think of this or you can’t avoid the tax man.
Huh? He’ll pay taxes when he gets paid. It’s not like the 680 million is just free money.
Tang – the concept is that he will leave CA at that point and those 68 mil annual payments won’t be earned in CA per tax laws. He moves to a state with no state income taxes and saves a bundle.
Gotcha, well federal income tax will likely be worse at that point and the money is worth less over all, so I’m not sure he’s helping himself much.
None of us knows but my thought was that he was projected at 600 mil. He got 700 mil (some reports were that 100 mil got added on last day) which I just take to mean that is the “interest factor” for the deferrals. It looks better to see 700 mil in print for the ego while 600 mil at say 5% would be more money but hey, he doesn’t need the money, right? He forever gets to say that he was the first at 600 and blew it away with 700 in mlb and has the richest overall contract in sports – from what I’ve read, not verified.
Just one guy’s thought on the subject.
As a longtime Dodger fan I’m obviously ecstatic. Win or lose, it’s will still be an exciting 10 years watching Mookie, Shohei etc play every night.
Many years of payroll
Hopefully, his career will be more successful than Admiral Yamamoto’s.
F them Giants,they suck on and off the field and this coming from a Giants fan.
I wonder what Carlos Quentin is up to?
So much for the Red Sox or the Yankees for that matter. Imaguna is just another one we will get outbid for. I hope Breslow has a lot of back up plans
The trade market is honestly better than the free agents anyway. I just hope he chooses wisely
Good thing sports are rigged, otherwise nobody would stand a chance with this nonsense
I got to say, losing out on Yamamoto is definitely a kick in the gut. He is a great picture and I definitely wanted him on the Yankees. He could have been our next Japanese star.
To all those whining about Hal being “cheap”, you don’t get to say that after the team offered $300 million to a rookie. That was extremely competitive, considering the market.
That being said, I’m glad we didn’t get him on a 12 year contract. That’s stupid for any pitcher, and certainly for one who’s yet to throw one major league pitch. I hope he holds up but pitchers are fragile. It’s a very real risk.
Well, here’s to seeing what the rest of the off-season has in store for us….
Fans need to stop obsessing on contract years. The price for Yamamoto was $325M. It’d up to the owner to decide if he wants to finance that contract on 8 yrs, 10 yrs, or 12 yrs.
Teams are paying for these starts PRIME years. They don’t care if they are paying for their 35 or 42 year seasons. The whole point of the contract is to get the players 25-32 year seasons.
This is just not right.
Lol I knew it. Of course he wanted to play with his pal Shohei!
Dodgers —now going to be the most hated team in baseball
both ohtani and yama get multiple tommy john surgeries each and curse the dodgers for the next 20 years.
This is a total roll of the dice. The contract is designed as a worst case scenario from the players side, ie, he sucks or is injured all the time and his downside is 325 million over 12 years. If he’s TOR and there are options it’s, he uses them but the Dodgers get 4-5 peak years.
Wow. we are strong this year. i dont want to hear anything about how much the Dodgers are spending. I remember Peter Omalley sold the Dodgers because Giamatti and Bud Selig were marginalizing the Dodgers. Bud Selig ran for commissioner as a champion of small market teams and promised to hold down the Yankees and Dodgers. The Yankees fought him off but the Dodgers couldnt. Selig stated publicly he couldnt stop the Yankees but at least he kept the Dodgers down. Selig was a rat. Baseball owes the Dodgers. im glad Selig is out. Now lets go Dodgers. Get it done
Even with all this money spent, they still need more starting pitching….
Imanaga will complete the japanipulation of the Fodgers.
I’d go for one back of rotation arm even if reclamation. Need some options besides the upside kids.
12 years? I am a Dodger fan. That’s excessive.
He’ll be 37, not that bad, plus it lowers the AAV
Tbh it could have been 10 years 325, and they probably got 2 free years
20 25 years would have been much better.
This is how the loopy brain of the dumb, angry and jealous will function :
“Have fun losing in first round with all that money”
*Win World Series*
“You bought your championship”
Sadly, can’t have it both.
What people don’t understand is that the Dodgers very well may experience a PROFIT from these signings as revenue will pour in from Asia like a tsunami. The Guggenheim group didn’t build a financial empire on accident.
Definitely with Ohtani signing. A ton. Moto will just be another smaller chunk.
Dodgers, earned this.
Lead the league in attendance every season, mega TV deal. The fans show up and spend.
This is also in a very competitive market with ANOTHER major league team, the Lakers (which is a behemoth in socal) and 2 NFL teams.
Welcome to America. Don’t be hypocrites.
And yet most dodger fans are probably opposed to capitalism like this in every other walk of life. Hmmm, seems suspect.
7 of the 12 teams in the playoffs last year had payrolls of less than MLB average. 2 teams had payroll of less than $100 Million. The 2 highest spenders didn’t make the playoffs.
Small teams can make playoffs for a single year or few years window and then have 5 years of 100 loses when they rebuild. Heck they can even have longer windows as long as they keep trading their best players they can’t afford to keep and are one of or the best player development teams in baseball.
How many of those 7 teams have made the playoffs as many or more times than the Dodgers Yankees the last 5 10 years?
Don’t give me the Angels who are one of or worst ran team in baseball. They need to spend 300 400 million as bad as they are ran.
Angels? yep I’m a fan even though they are a terrible run team. but my post has nothing to do with them. Tampa Bay is a well run organization so competitive with payrolls Under $100 Million. For all the the money spent by Dodgers and Yankees, 1 World Championship in the last 10 years.
I hope him and Andrew Friedman both get blisters….over and over…..for the next 12yrs!
Congratulations Dodger fans! Well played and GG for YY. Look forward to seeing him pitch against the Yankees.
For the ones who were saying that people getting mad at how much deferred money was on Ohtani’s contract were just the ones who didnt understand it, well they were right. I for once cant understands how the heck a team can make 1B worth agreements in two players and still not surpassing the “limit” that much (and having Mookie, Freeman also deferring money). I mean what will stop a team to field 11 superstars, with this tactic at some point? They just have to be creative (and actually be sure they will have the money avaliable, which dont think that many teams can be)
Well, although your question was rhetorical, there is an answer to, “what’s going to stop them?”. That answer is….them. They cannot buy a team of superstars and field them, and win with them consistently (at least we haven’t seen that yet). The contracts will be too costly and will necessitate measures to mitigate costs in the near future (see: SD Padres).
It’s clear they’re going for it, but they haven’t won anything yet this season. I’m never a fan of restricting how sports owners spend their money – it’s a self-regulating problem. By nature owners don’t want to waste money, thus they will take corrective action as soon as they begin to lose money.
The Diamondbacks are the reigning NL champs and SD Padres had a super team. The money spent simply doesn’t matter. The fact they spent that much on only two players could turn out to be a huge mistake in the future. But, they’re hedging their bets and only time will tell whether it’s worthwhile. One thing is for sure: this is not a tenable long-term plan for any team. LAD is trying to maximize their window of opportunity.
Except for the fact that they have one of the best farms in baseball and can continuously supplement their payroll with up and coming talent at no cost.
Then why aren’t they?
If you want to crown ‘em now, go ahead and crown ‘em! Y’all Doyer honks better be ready to be swept by an 88 win team.
What a contradiction
Team is not fair, will win easily.
But will lose in the first round in the playoffs?
They’ve set that precedent already, so that’s more believable than winning a real ws.
That is some serious money. First Ohtani, now Yamamoto, the Dodgers mean business.
The parity in MLB is absolutely gone. They’ve become the new NBA. 4-5 teams with a chance to win. The rest are just existing. Crash and burn MLB.
Yea Diamondbacks and Rangers went into the season 1 and 2 in the power rankings.
Surely you’re not serious.
I you should be more concerned with 7 team that don’t even have a $100M roster who for the most part don’t bother to field competitive teams unless they played way over their heads.
Mets offered same deal, Dodgers matched.
Yikes
Dodgers no brainer of a decision in every capacity vs. Mets
2016 NLCS
2017 World Series
2018 World Series
2019 NLDS
2020 World Series
2021 NLCS
2022 NLDS
2023 NLDS
That’s a lot of extra baseball, especially with as much roster turnover that’s happened. The last two years have obviously been frustrating for a team with World Series expectations, but 2023 was a “down” year because the Dodgers perhaps rightly avoided any bigger deals that could jeopardize the 2023 offseason plans. But that’s an NLCS in five of eight years (five of six, even), three World Series appearances (three in four years).
In hindsight, they chose shrewdly and wisely. 2022 was the only recent NLDS failure that was genuinely shocking. 2023 was no surprise, the rotation was in shambles and no great solutions existed to fix it without hampering the offseason plans.
When he opts out (the signing bonus is a huge blunder here, btw), do the Dodgers at least get the posting fee returned? Also, is the signing bonus pro-rated (returned partially if he opts out), or is it just like a year 0 payout?
No, it’s basically a non-refundable fee paid to the Japanese team to release their rights to the player.
Also, they may have to pay up to an additional 15% to the NPB team since they gave Yoshi a signing bonus.
Yeah. I did hear any bonuses get paid to the team, so I was thinking opt outs would work the same way. Bad investment if he opts out either way
Clip, testing..testing…Making sure you didn’t mute me…..Testing.. We still friends? Lol YOU were the one who said he was signing any second now…
This wouldn’t have happened had MLB turned a blind eye to the ridiculous Ohtani deferrals. Yankees are no longer the most hated MLB team anymore.
I hate what baseball has become.
It’s a business set up to make money and you’re surprised? Go support your local rec or high school if you want it to be just a game.
Gross
Beautiful
I hate opt-out clauses. If the player performs well, he leaves. If he doesn’t perform well, the team is stuck with him. It’s a lose-lose for the team.
You realize the owners screwed the players for first 100 years. The last 47 the players have been screwing the owners. 53 more years to go
All this money just to win 2 more World Series titles by 2035.
3 more titles by then would be worth it. Not 2 though.
Sll, They can worry about that in 5 and 8 more years. The time is NOW!
A Billion dollar off season on two players. Wow!
Good for the Dodgers. They needed a reliable ACE. Hopefully Yamamoto can be that for them.
Gee whiz fellas…Anyone know who’s locker he may be next to??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So …are the Dodgers setting up an RSN in Japan now?
They pretty much own the region after this, don’t they?
MLB owns all international broadcast rights and any money is split by all 30 teams regardless of who is being shown in the game. Same as any game on national broadcasts here in the U.S.
I know it’s nothing unfair but I gotta say this. This is so unfair!!!!
Every decade or so a new team comes out to dominate. This is the time of the LA Dodgers. I don’t think LA accomplishes this without Ohtani deferring his money. Congratulations they took advantage of that. To have a billion dollars tied up in two players is insanity. However, the Dodger rotation looks like a freaking MASH unit and a prerequisite for being in that rotation is that you need at least 1 TJ surgery in your past. On the business side of baseball this was a no-brainer they now have the Japanese market cornered. Yamamoto could be the only starter not hurt and he has to adjust to pitching every 5 days instead of every 6. It sounds easy, but the Red Sox had this problem with Matsuzaka years back. Daisuke didn’t allow himself to rest and he threw too much on the side.
Still waiting to hear from everyone who kept talking about how filthy rich Steve Cohen was and how this signing was gonna be a cinch lol. Foregone conclusion right? HAHAHA
Maybe Cohen has something else up his sleeve like getting Snell, Burnes, and Stroman
Maybe Arte Moreno will sign those 3 guys though…Who is next after them? Anyone else to placate the fans?
Being rich with all the money in the world means nothing if the player wants to play on the West Coast. Myself living in Southern CA for 40 yrs I can personally tell you CA has the BEST weather in the world with so much to do with various cultures, I am not surprised free agents flocking there to play.
It hardly snows or rains and is always hot. That would be unbearable weather for me
northern CA has much better weather – we usually have a couple of months of heat and the rest of the year floats in the 50-70 degree range with fog and rain in the winter.
The prospect of playing with his good pal Shohei probably didn’t hurt either huh?
Yeah, Trumbo, it’s interesting to see them suddenly drop off. I had him to the NYY but at least I admit I was wrong – haha!
Mr Franco, its their 4th straight year of taxes. Not 3rd straight.
I thought they weaseled under the tax one year via removing some of Bauers money owed. Remember, they slashed his salary for the following year, in addition to the suspension. I believe by *just enough* to get under the threshold. Manfred was obviously helping out the Dodgers with that slick accounting, par for his course. Not sure if it stuck or an arbiter ruled against it.
Why would anyone on Earth be surprised by this signing? This deal was sealed as soon as Shohei was signed! Signing Yoshi was one of Shohei’s non-negotiable stipulations! Come on people!!! He was ALWAYS going to play with his good o’l buddy Shohei!
Can we combine all the other teams into a Non-Dodgers team? Can tour the world for 162 games
If I was a GM for any other team I’d have a scout at every single game any Dodgers minor league affiliate plays since about 80 percent of their active roster is set in stone for the next 5-7 years.
I am done watching baseball, Not an even playing field.
MLB should intervene here and put limits on what can be deferred and should still apply these contracts to the salary cap even if money is deferred.
The Rich don’t have to get Richer. MLB should intervene and not allow that much to be deferred. Lets make an even playing field.
I am happy tho he didnt go to the Mets or Blue Jays, 2 organizations going nowhere fast.
The players association and mlb owners agreed to a labor contract. Players are doing pretty good. Don’t hear them complaining
I don’t hear the other owners yelling and stomping their feet over these signings, they are looking at their bottom lines and smiling all the way to the bank. Because they know when the Yankees and the Dodgers come into play their teams, they will have sellouts. It is called the free market, and every MLB team enjoys sitting around that table.
There’s no salary cap in MLB. No salary floor either.
Floor is 19m or 750k per player.
How do you propose to “even the playing field?” Force a star player to sign somewhere he doesn’t want to play?
I mean, you’re not talking about on-field competition obviously because the AZ Diamondbacks almost won their second WS in the last twenty years, which would’ve put them ahead of the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Cardinals, and many other teams.
In fact, their second WS appearance surpassed that of all the teams I just mentioned and plenty more. I’m thinking “small” markets have the advantage. I say cap the small markets!
2025 Dodgers Starting Rotation
Shohei Ohtani
Walker Buehler
Tyler Glasnow
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Bobby Miller
There’s not a lot of losses in there!
You forgot Cat Man!!! And Dustin May!!!
Not many starts in there.
Miller had the most MLB starts in 2023 in that group at 22.
Buehler and Yamamoto had the same. Zero.
By his first start of 2024 Buehler will not have pitched in MLB for 22 months. He has had 2 Tommy John surgeries now, so the chances of him being as good as he was before are slim.
Glasnow has averaged 11 starts per season in his career and the 21 last season was the most of his career.
Ohtani will have zero starts in 2024.
Sheehan is the Dodgers #5 right now.
Dodger still need at least one starting pitcher. They just don’t have any depth when the inevitable injuries happen.
Last season was a complete dumpster fire in terms of starting pitching and they still won 100 games! Your points are speculative and require everything going wrong. What if they go right? What then?
As far as having “no depth” that’s just wrong.
Shohei Ohtani
Tyler Glasnow
Walker Buehler
Yoshi Yamamoto
Bobby Miller
Tony Gonsolin
Emmett Sheehan
Dustin May
Clayton Kershaw
That’s incredible depth! You should feel pretty stupid right about now. Hang in there soldier.
Money – Ohtani, Gonsonlin and possibly May dont pitch in 24. Strike those. WB – innings limit of what 100 ish.” And a FA after 24. CK – well for starters his isn’t on the roster. Assuming he were to sign, projects at mid-summer. How long before that back or shoulder barks again?
Glasnow – just look at his averages – and then 21 starts max EVER.
Yam – never thrown a pitch in mlb. Maybe he wins ROY and CY.
Just saying this stuff is reality.
Thats 3 players coming off TJ or multiple surgeries with Yamamoto being the next pitcher to have the surgery at some point. Thats a ticking time bomb rotation with no guarantees they are the same pitcher.
“Even playing field”…Name any place, institution or business where there’s an “even playing field” among all involved? “Even playing fields” exist in socialist fantasies and no where else, my friend. Welcome to the real world, my friend. And just for your information, MLB and main stream sports have never had an “even playing field” and thank you for finally noticing.
Pretty soon players are going to be signed while in womb, through parental consent.
I wonder how much Hideki Irabu would get from the Dodgers if he were coming from Japan for the first time being hailed as the Japanese Nolan Ryan?
Jesus, the Dodgers are stacked for next season but what will most likely happen is they fail to win a World Series next year.
If the Dodgers do not WIN THE WORLD SERIES THIS SEASON then Dave Roberts should be fired. That’s the kind of pressure on the Dodgers now. This team better also win 115 games lol.
In response the Braves have traded for the remaining years of Bobby Bonillas Mets dead money contract and will trade for Anthony Rizzo to take on his dead money then release him if they cannot find a trade partner.
This will lead up to us finding a starting pitcher somehow
Best Dodgers off-season in history. Friedman and co smoking the finest cigars and sipping on the most expensive bottle of champagne money can buy. Merry Christmas you filthy animals!
BORING!
Dodgers are going to be so uninteresting. It isn’t a team it’s a carnival.
I do gotta admit it is nice to hear the sound of old man Steinbrenner turning in his grave. Hank is such a disappointment.
Your comment is paradoxical. You’re saying the Dodgers are pathetic for buying their way to success but then criticize Hal Steinbrenner for not buying Yamatomo and Ohtani
Now the pressure is all on the Dodgers to win the world series or BUST!!!
You don’t win the world series by winning the hot stove. Although, you might better your chances of get to play in one.
I think that there’s a chance the Ohtani deal may lead to a lockout next CBA.
If the Dodgers lose next year, we’ll all point and laugh. Roberts will get fired and they’ll spend more money to replace whoever underperformed.
But if they make a run like the Warriors after signing KD. They beat the M’s wins record and make it to 2-3 straight WS. Some teams may be going after the CBT skirting deferrals. Which I can’t blame them.
The real poverty franchises that get the bulk of the revenue sharing won’t care but enough of the mid-market teams like MIL, COL, MIN, BAL, etc. would probably love to kneecap the big money market teams in their own division. The players’ Union likes these deferrals, they have no issue with them cause guys will make their money anyway.
Ohtani pulled the Boomer “f you, I got mine!” with this contract. If the Dodgers rack up some titles. We could see a clash with the next CBA (hopefully not though).
Ohtani – $700 million
Yamamoto – $375.6 million
Glasnow – $136.56 million
$1.207 Billion on 3 players
$282 million CBT payroll minimum
Dodgers are not done spending yet. Still holes in roster.
If they sign Kershaw that will add even more. They are headed above Cohen Tax line.
So many writers talked ad nauseum about how Mets and Padres spending was bad for baseball. So did more than a few people on here including some Dodger fans. Where are those writers now? No outcry over Dodger spending? Why?
I actually don’t have a big problem with teams spending as much as they can. Payroll inequality has been prevalent in MLB for quite some time now.
But I do object to the paradigm perpetuated by Dodgerland that other teams try to buy championships, while the Dodgers build from within with homegrowns. Mythical nonsense
not saying he wasn’t an interesting piece, but man this is ridiculous,
Does anyone really think this guy is going to come here and be the next Bob Gibson.?!
let’s look at this with some semblance a logic.
He doesn’t throw anything MLB hitters haven’t seen before. He will now have to deal with MLB game clock rules a bigger baseball and no tack on the ball like they use in Japan and a more rigorous pitching schedule.
I can imagine MLB hitters are chomping at the bit to face this guy, who has been made to sound like he is unhittable.
Tip my hat to the Dodgers, but at this price you better be right.
I hope the Dodgers suck a big Hadji this year. What a friggin joke.Good luck, you’ve won your division twelve straight years and your only title came in a empty ballpark with cut out fans, What an accomplishment LA, winning it all during a short 62 game series. The season should not have ever started.. Who’s next Sign Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery now!!
Sigh…
Jed… please. I beg of you.
Welcome to the Texas Rangers Clayton!!!
In June or July
The rules say you can spend unlimited money. The Giants chose NOT to spend money even though their ownership group is worth a collective $100+ billion. So whose fault is this? It’s the Giants fault and anyone who choses to work for them.
The owners personal wealth has nothing to do with what the business generates. No one’s business is operating at a loss or they wouldn’t be billionaires for long.
The Dodgers bring in eell over 100 million more in local TV money than the Giants, or pretty much anyone. They can literally pay their players with that income, and everything else is in their pocket.
Do the math. This is why this is happening. This is also why the sport is dying outside the large markets.
A well run league would have notified the Dodgers after they signed Ohtani that they cannot sign Yamamoto to ensure a competitive balance in the league.
The texas rangers literally did the same thing the past 2 years as the dodgers this year..not to mention what the mets have spent recently..the notification came in the for of competitive balance tax
The competitive balance tax has failed miserably to insure any kind of even playing field. The past two years have proved that. Anyone with a brain knew that when it was implemented.
Umm that last bit about cbt was sarcasm however what tex, sd nym and others proves is that there is a ton of money and only the smaller markets cant really play this game
.
Now how is that the free market for the player, what if he only wanted to play for the Dodgers. That sounds like someone telling the player you can only play for these teams just cause the Dodgers sign a FA to big dollars. I think that would end up in court by the MLBPA.
MLBPA doesn’t care about who someone plays for. Only that they make money.
So the league should determine which players should go to which teams? That seems…… like collusion – the very antithesis of a competitive balance.
Spoken like a true Bernie Sanders socialist. It’s not fair the left whines. Make it fair.
Present Value of $240,000,000
Assuming 5% and the money is distributed equally per year.
Screw Rob Manfred.
Totally ridiculous.
I look forward to them celebrating their “Regular Season Champs” banner yet again!!!
Some teams aren’t meant for October…
I remember when everyone thought Bill Giles and his group were crazy for buying the Phillies in 1984 for $34 million. Now we have at least ten players making that kind of cheese. And, probably more to come.
MLB had better hope that TV and streaming money continues to flow into their cookie jar because ticket prices, already expensive, are only going to get higher. And let’s not forget $12 beers and $8 hot dogs!
MLB is shutting out the average fan from attending a game with his family. Last game I went to in Philly with my daughter and three grandkids cost over $600.00 when everything was said and done.
Hey, what do I tell three sub-12-year-olds when they are hungry, “I can’t afford to buy you a hot dog and a Coke!”. Nope, you grit your teeth and pony up the money.
Lastly, the Dodgers, with all the injury risks they’ll have this year, have the potential to resemble an episode of M*A*S*H, only without the laugh track.
@ backup. I agree. I guess it’s time to hit a nice restaurant and eat your fill before a game. Why I quit going to games myself. Not to mention the nearest MLB stadium is a 4 hour drive one way for me (coors field).
After attending three games at the new Rangers park in 2021, I decided that going to games was no longer worth the expense or effort. That park is about two hours away from me, and it was $27 every time I bought a beer for the wife and myself. On top of that, I had to leave my seat and go to the concourse area to get those beers because they eliminated the roaming vendors from the seating area…..and they wouldn’t even take my cash.
I had to make some decisions about how to allocate my entertainment dollars, and trips to the ballpark didn’t make the cut.
I’m not saying I’ll never go back. Maybe I’ll want to take my granddaughter when she gets old enough to understand the game, but as a regular annual event, trips to the ballpark are over for me.
Dodgers have the potential for their 2024 rotation to pitch less games per pitcher on average than their 2023 staff did.
I don’t think any pitcher will surpass 22 starts again this season.
Play ball!
It would have been a lot cheaper and more fun to just bribe the umpires and buy the WS.
cg
That’s illegal, though
This is totally by the books
And more fun
He signed with my favorite team! The Los Angeles Nottheyankees. Indeed, there is a huge financial imbalance in baseball. But there are more wealthy teams than just on the East and West coasts. And some teams spend money and fail while others succeed without spending so much. To me, the key is less about the players and more about the administration of the team, the front office, the scouting, the development, etc. and those people don’t care as much about being in a big city environment. They’re not obsessed with their brand, just winning. The same thing that used to motivate players before big money shoved that in the background. Sadly, some owners care more about money than winning, maybe baseball has to figure out a way to show them the door and bring in new blood at the ownership level. Maybe even institute some sort of performance standards for owners like attendance, viewership, win-loss results.
Typical large market apologist drivel.
Huh?
As of today, since Guggenheim bought the Dodgers in 2012 they have outspent the 2nd highest spending team in baseball by $461 million on player payroll. They have outspent the highest spending team in the NL by $632 million. They have outspent the NL West by an average of $1.07 Billion.
That doesn’t include having the largest baseball operations, scouting, and analytics staffs.
When Trevor Bauer out performs Yoshi in 2024 on a one year pact, I will smile. It’s unfortunate the Dodgers games start at bedtime for East Coast folks.
Which MLB team would try to sign Bauer?
5 or 6 real teams and 24 collections of guys there to serve as extras.
The Washington Generals laugh at MLB.
WWE thinks there should be a wider range of possible outcomes.
TRASH league.
At some point, those 5 or 6 teams are all that will be left, as they gave driven contracts beyond the ability of the other clubs to pay. It is not sustainable.
It will happen sooner than many think.
Haven’t people been saying that about baseball for the last 30 years??? Game is still here and when is the last time anybody repeated as a World Series champion????
Yankees in the last century. Literally a generation ago. There are current players that were not born the last time it happened.
Can’t wait to see ohtani and Yamamoto next season !
Just thinking honestly here… two players over one billion dollars! This doesn’t even make sense that baseball doesn’t see a HUGE problem with the financial system. The Dodgers have done nothing wrong only to expose and take advantage of a flawed business model. The owners are totally to blame for everything we’re witnessing. This model simply isn’t sustainable and you want to create two more expansion teams? This is officially the financial steroids era for MLB…
Wollte
How is it flawed?
Why will it fail?
Shocker.
Everyone complaining that the Dodgers are ruining baseball should remember the 2000s Yankees got knocked off by not one, but two recent expansion teams in the world series. Anything can happen once your team is in the playoffs. Plus, having a villain to root against makes life more fun.
As a St. Louis Cardinals fan my heart was hoping the Cards would pull the trigger but my brain knew Yama would sign with a coast city. I think LA is a great choice – and can you imagine Yama and Ohtani as a 1-2 in the Dodgers rotation in ’25? Wow!
Oh – and I’m glad he didn’t sign with the Damn Yankees.
Let’s get real–this is a great business decision for MLB–I’ll bet you Manfred loves it. Marketing means a lot–powerhouse teams with real stars get attention, and if you want to see what MLB does not want is for a high quality talent being buried on a bad team….like Mike Trout’s prime years. BTW, franchise values continue to go up, no one has stopped small market teams from tanking and taking the dough, and states and municipalities continue to throw free taxpayer money at billionaires. Baseball is not in crisis. Over 800 comments already on this article…people are buzzed, and no, MLB does not have any interest in making sure the game is affordable to anyone. No more than Broadway has to sell tickets at $25 each, or a rock star, or an opera, or any other form of entertainment.
It’s like the NBA for marketing they have to have a strong base for their network contract and advertising. That is why they have to have strong teams in the main cities like LA, NY. That is why big stars go to big cities, TV advertising is really big there with big $$$$. Cannot get the same in small markets. It is the ratings that matter and bring in the dollars.
That is why the NFL put two teams in LA to go with the two teams in NY
And why MLB has two teams in LA and two teams in NY
It is just all about the dollars and the players go where the dollars are. Like putting a carrot in front of a donkey. He’ll go wear the bucks are.
Shocker.
IMO, another domino falling that indicates that Stearns is going to trade the polar bear.
@ Supreme. There are no tea leaves to read here. Mets offered 325 and Dodgers matched it. Full stop.
Has nothing to do with PB
Not gonna lie i wanted to see him in Queens but I think the Mets are smart to stay away from that price. I hope the money saved to lock up Alonso
Ok, now that the going rage for a presumed ace is $30-$35mm through age 38, we can make predictions:
Snell to the Yankees, $220mm over 6 years
Montgomery to the Red Sox, $280mm over 7 years (Sox will have to over pay)
Who is going to sign Hader and for how much???????
I’ve been watching MLB my whole life the money that the big market teams can spend is ruining the game.here’s an example if you follow global soccer its the teams with the most money always winning because they can buy the best players and the small teams cant. plain and simple.its boring to watch that.that’s why I don’t anymore.and for all the people that are like well the Mets and Padres didn’t win it doesn’t matter it still lacks competitiveness in the league period.
The Rangers also just bought themselves a title, I think it’s fair to say.
Did you have them in the category of “haves” a couple of years ago? I didn’t.
That’s not to say that the Pirates will ever join them in that group, but baseball randomizes the postseason enough to ensure that teams like the Diamondbacks and the Rangers can get to the WS as long as they pay the price to get to 84-88 wins.
3 Wildcards. Baseball’s ‘answer’ to the NFL’s parity.
We’ll all I can say is that last year was a good example of enjoyment when the D”Backs knocked off Milwaukee, then Philadelphia, then the Dodgers, and even though they did not win the WS against the Rangers, the fans hear in AZ are all in in 2024 can’t wait for Spring Training. Nobody gave the D’Backs a chance in 2023, but they played good baseball for 90% of the season and they were competitive that is the most important thing for me.
Think they beat the Dodgers first then the Phillies…
Prediction: Dodgers still lose in the first round of the playoffs. Those odds are as good as the odds of them winning the Division.
Well it looks like Jordan Montgomery back to the Yankees now after missing on Yam.
If the Dodgers don’t win multiple championships, shame on them.
They won’t. You can neutralize that lineup with a good lefty.
Just like a poor person going into Dollar Tree saying, I can buy anything I want.
That a whole lot of yen.
Had a feeling he wasn’t signing with the Yankees…AKA- CLOWN SHOW (Brian Cashman, Hal Steinbrenner, and Boone)..plus Soto has indicated that he will play one year for the Yankees….Any one who thinks Soto will make that much of a difference on Yankees in 2024, is…well..we’ll see..Padres were a .500 team with him..surrounded by SUPER STARS….jmo…
@poor leo It’s true that Soto is wildly overrated, a 4-5 win DH the last two years who shouldn’t go near the OF.
Add to that the Yankees surrendering some wins to get him, and they didn’t do a lot more than break even until you factor in Verdugo and Grisham, who combined pro rate to about 80% of what Soto will contribute, if those two were give full seasons.
Still, they have added about 6 wins this offseason. Add a #2 starter and they should be in it in 2024.
So they’re saying he’s Hideo Nomo..
If the Giants get Snell and Montgomery they can jump back into this thing.
Ha! Like they will sign with SF! Imagine….
Mets tried this last year and failed. So the dodgers are the new Yankees trying to buy titles. It’ll be that much sweeter watching them choke year after year.
Yes, watching the Rangers try to buy a title and faili…
Oh.
I think the biggest thing for me is that the same teams getting all the big free agents takes a lot of the fun out of baseball for all the fans of other teams. Knowing your team has no shot at ever signing the best players makes for a pretty dull offseason. There is no point in dreaming about your team getting one of your favourite players unless your team is in New York or LA.
Even when other markets try to throw some cash around it still doesn’t get them anywhere. In every other league with caps at least fans will occasionally get to see good players sign with their team once the big markets run out of cap room, but more and more it appears as though there no limits anymore in baseball. Yes other teams can win with smart drafting, but nothing really matches the excitement fans get when their team brings in one of the best players in the league. Some fans simply will never get to experience that period.
I’m willing to bet the people calling everyone frustrated about that whiners would get pretty frustrated themselves if their team went 20 plus years without ever signing a major free agent. Hell I see fans of some major teams get upset if they go one offseason without getting a big upgrade.
Great point
What a bunch of whiny man children on here. The majority of whom wouldn’t be saying squat if it was their team who signed both Ohtani and Yamamoto. It’s amusing that some of the loudest complainers about how this is “bad for baseball” and “not fair” are the same ones who would defend capitalism as the one true economic and political system. Oh the irony…
@gmmtnyeti And who couldn’t offer even a sound, one-paragraph definition each of two other economic systems That Shall Not Be Named.
Of course not, JackStraw, of course not. They only know to repeat what their favorite news evangelist tells them. Why think for yourself when it can be done for you?
But baseball cannot survive on capitalism. Professional sports requires a certain number of teams to have a league. It’s an apples and oranges.
If two sandwich shops are next to each other and one shop is superior, the other shop goes out of business. The superior shop keeps going. They don’t need another sandwich shop to stay in business.
In baseball, (or any professional sport) the dodgers need to have to have competition in order to stay in business.
Unless you’re a Dodger fan, this is bad for the sport.
dm, all it takes is two teams to have competition. In most sports every major city that has a team has pretty much an equal shot at making these kinds of signings. Two LA teams, two in NY, two in Chicago, Boston, Houston, Texas, Miami, SF, SD, Oakland, that’s at least 13 teams that could’ve made those deals based on the size of their cities. It’s having teams, with owners who pocket their tax gifts (corporate socialism), and in cities that can’t/won’t support a team that are bad for the sport.
6-8 teams who don’t spend and aren’t competitive could be removed from mlb right now and multiple cities would want their franchise spots. There’s plenty of interest in the game and in seeing competitive teams. Teams that don’t have big fan bases or revenue are failing and its only because of revenue sharing that they remain in business. Their owners should be replaced with owners who want to win and have resources to do so.
It’s such a weird dynamic. If you read the comments it’s all these folks talking about being {financially competitive.} Almost as if they’re confusing the offseason for the actual games played. I get they all want the biggest stars in their team, but that’s an owner problem, not a competition problem.
They also completely ignore the fact that the LAD don’t win (the WS), or even make it there, with any greater frequency than any other team. I mean, had the Rays won they would’ve had the same number of championships as the LAD since the Rays creation.
It’s only money.
When is the baseball world going to wake up and realize that the current system is broken? Look at the NBA, NFL, NHL you will see that a hard salary cap. Baseball in my opinion is the best sport on the planet. Why not just go ahead and fix this problem? It’s kind of grotesque the way it is
Ken burns 12th inning. “While baseball had always found ways to overcome the complexities of global society, Commissioner Manfred had unlocked new ways to spearhead its demise. He was resolute in nature, and was determined that the sport would never once again hold relevance.”
These opt-outs always seem odd, and must worth tens of millions to the player in a contract this size.
If he’s less than brilliant to completely broken after the 2028 season, Yamamoto effectively opts in for 7/$227.5m. If he’s been very good to excellent he opts out. Granted the Dodgers got a very productive pitcher for 5 years, but these things always seem like the worst sort of insurance—“if he’s terrible, you get to keep him!”
Wonder what the actuaries value the opt-out at?
Until the recent signings of Ohtani and Yamamoto, the only significant free agent on the roster was Freeman.
Yankees need to move on very quickly and I don’t think Snell can handle NY. I don’t want Monty back for big money and giving up more prospects for Burnes could be a mistake. The trades for Montas and Gallo depleted the farm. Two of the worst trades ever in the Cashman ERA. IMO Cashman can not build a winning team. Cashman won in 2009 because of King George going above and beyond for CC and Tex. Also the dynasty years was thanks to Stick Michael and company. Cashman doesn’t deserve to be around anyone. Not sure where the Yankees pivots next. I would trade Torres,Rizzo,DJL and Stanton for Pitching. Replace Rizzo with Bellinger and replace DJL with Chapman. For all you LA fans Dodgers won nothing yet and I still prefer Philly or Atlanta. IMO the Yankees needed to secure Yamamoto before they gave up all those Pitchers for Soto. IMO also trade Cole now to replenish the farm. Cole opting out next year and at his age I wouldn’t give him 35-40 Million a year. Move on from Cole get younger
Yankees need to move on very quickly and I don’t think Snell can handle NY. I don’t want Monty back for big money and giving up more prospects for Burnes could be a mistake. The trades for Montas and Gallo depleted the farm. Two of the worst trades ever in the Cashman ERA. IMO Cashman can not build a winning team. Cashman won in 2009 because of King George going above and beyond for CC and Tex. Also the dynasty years was thanks to Stick Michael and company. Cashman doesn’t deserve to be around anyone. Not sure where the Yankees pivots next. I would trade Torres,Rizzo,DJL and Stanton for Pitching. Replace Rizzo with Bellinger and replace DJL with Chapman. For all you LA fans Dodgers won nothing yet and I still prefer Philly or Atlanta. IMO the Yankees needed to secure Yamamoto before they gave up all those Pitchers for Soto. IMO also trade Cole now to replenish the farm. Cole opting out next year and at his age I wouldn’t give him 35-40 Million a year. Move on from Cole get younger.
No truer words have ever been spoken
Well this is fun! Baseball isn’t broken, it just a got an early holiday gift of creating the biggest villain franchise/international MLB sensation the game has ever seen! This is unparalleled, unprecedented, unimaginable, and a whole lot of other uns! While diehard fans of every other team now have a team to despise (the Dodgers truly have a
(target on their backs), an entire nation of baseball fanatics have found a unique identity in two elite homegrown talents playing for one Pacific-based franchise. This is GREAT for baseball!
Let me guess, Dodgers fan?
First off, congratulations Dodgers fans, you have an awesome team enjoy it!
Dodgers are now the evil empire, I say embrace it, wear that proudly lol
I’m going to guess the years, are what made Yoshi pick the Dodgers. Perhaps both New York teams did not offer more than 10? It’s just speculation on my part.
Yankees need to bring in Montgomery, and maybe one of Hicks and Hader. Soto cannot be the only move they make.
As a Mets fan, I’m both disappointed and relieved by this news. Disappointed that my team didn’t sign him, but also relieved these sweepstakes are over and the Mets won’t potentially get screwed over by a free agent flop. I’m not saying Yamamoto will be a flop, just that I’d be worried that he would be because that’s the Mets’ luck.
Neither Ohtani’s or Yamamoto’s deals compare to the Mariners’ signing of Luis Urias this offseason.
Congratulations to the Los Angeles Yankees. Joking aside, good for the Dodgers. I’m a Braves fan and welcome the competition. But wow, talk about upgrades.
Congratulations to the Los Angeles Yankees.
========================
All this reminds me of when the NYY traded for ARod. Folks were acting like the world came to an end, and that the NYY were going to win every WS forever and ever.
You still have to play the games.
Well said Joe….the best paper lineups don’t guarantee a WS title…..you still have to play the games….who would have thought that the Diamondbacks would be this successful in 2023……..great example!
We know now why the Dodgers reloaded last year, they have won the winter and are set up for dominance for the next 10 years. This is what a 8 billion in TV money can get you.
After the dodgers get Snell, Montgomery and Bellinger locked up the hot stove can finally get going.
I also would like to see a Bellinger reunion. Not sure where he slots in defensively though. Is he an everyday option for us? I’ve become a supremely casual fan over the years unfortunately, but hey, this offseason is fun lol.
As annoyed as I have been with what the Red Sox have been doing, I can’t even blame them for not signing this guy. How do you give a 12 year almost $400 million contract (including the posting fee) to a pitcher who never pitched in the MLB. I don’t even understand how you give a 12 year deal to any pitcher in general. More risk of TJ or decline than a hitter would have. This shows that baseball needs to be fixed. You have a couple dumb franchises that are ruining it for everyone else. People need to think logically and stop saying “who cares, just pay them”. You can’t run a franchise will a bunch of underwater contracts in the long run.
This shows that baseball needs to be fixed.
=================
Does it? The 2023 payroll for the NYY, SDP, and NYM were all higher than the 2024 LAD payroll, as it is today.
Only because they fraudulently deferred Ohtani’s salary.
By definition, fraud is a crime. If you have an issue it is with the CBA not teams legally operating within the framework of the rules.
I don’t see the MLBPA agreeing to a salary cap.
Mets had a record $366 million CBT payroll for MLB in 2023. The Yankees were at $298 million and the Padres finished at $296 million. The Dodgers were 4th at $267 million.
Dodgers 2024 CBT payroll is at $288 million including Yamamoto. It will be over $300 million by opening day because of holes they have to fill in pitching staff and elsewhere. If they sign Kershaw for a half season add another $12 million or so to that. If they are forced to pick up anyone in trade at the deadline that will go up more.
Considering the amount of interest and similar offers that he received, clearly it was not an isolated crazy idea by one team.
As a Giant fan I hope this all blows up on the Dodgers but right now I would kill to have Ohtani and Yamamoto on my roster.
Here are my positive takes on this 12 year contract……
#1- Yankees did not sign him
#2- Toronto did not sign him
#3- Red Sox did not sign him
#4- Rangers did not sign him
#5- Houston did not sign him
#6- Because of the 12 year commitment the Dodgers will get some good pitching years out of him
I look at it this way, he has not pitched in MLB, the wear and tear on him in the last 2 to 3 years, how long before his arm starts showing the 200 innings a year, can’t really see him no having arm trouble somewhere down the line. Twelve-year contract for a pitcher is unheard of,
example: look at the 10 yr. guaranteed contract Wayne Garland signed with the Cleveland Indians back in the 70’s He went down with shoulder problems year and a half and never really fulfilled the contract. It is a gamble by the Dodgers.
He’ll likely have some kind of significant injury in those 12 years just going by all pitchers and percentage of injuries. It comes down to how many strong years they get from him. I’m a bitter Met fan, but I think he’ll do really well.
This is starting to get a bit ridiculous. How many years of Tampa Bay payrolls will these two equal? I
Rays get the most “bang” for their bucks!
Does anyone not see this as a problem for baseball in general?
Everyone but large market apologists do.
Major problems. It all started with the deferred ohtani contract. Total BS and not in the best interest if any sport. The Dodgers still won’t win any non covid related titles and continue to be the biggest chokers in any sport
Embarrassing that they are allowed to defer all of the salary for one player like that. It makes a mockery of the luxury tax system and is total and complete joke. Major League Baseball is a clown league now.
Not sure I recall you complaining when Scherzer had half his contract deferred with the Nationals, including most of his 2019 salary the year the Nat’s won the World Series?
This is over $68 million out $70 million deferred. It’s a total fraud.
First of all this is about Ohtani’s contract does not appear any deferred for Yamamoto. But Makes no difference, Ohtani still has a $46 mill cap hit. They could have just signed him for a 15 year deal and he could make $46 mill a year and would be the same cap hit. Only difference is that instead Ohtani will only cash $2 million saving him probably at least $80 some odd million in CA state taxes.
I have no problems with deferrals, but it shouldn’t impact the luxury tax figure. If teams need to it for cash flow purposes to make it easier to make payroll in certain years, fine. But to get the benefit of lessening tax hit is exploiting the rules. NPV or not, it shouldn’t work that way for any team. Or they’ll need to put a limit on what percentage of a contract can be deferred.
The funny part is, the LAD 2024 payroll would still only rank #4 in 2023 behind the NYM, SDP, and NYY.
And they are still behind the NYM in 2024, and roughly tied with the NYY.
You’ve gotta twist yourself into a pretzel with this mental yoga.
The Dodgers have 2nd largest CBT payroll as of today.
legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/
In 2023 the Dodgers were the 4th largest CBT payroll.
This is crazy. A 100 win team should not be signing best 2 FA. However it is also crazy that a player that has not thrown a single MLB pitch just got the highest contract ever given to an SP. That said if he really turns out to be good the AAV in a few years will be that of a number 4 SP not a star. Anyone see Bryce Harper in this contract?
You think this is crazy heard on a radio show that it would not surprise them if the Dodgers add another bat (Chapman maybe, then move Muncy in a package either for Cease or Burnes and Adames trade) then here is the kicker Dodgers signing Soto as a FA in 2025.
I guess losing to the DBacks last year really ticked them off.
Don’t think Muncy would ever bring back a Cease or Burnes…
@Nats: maybe the Dodgers want to continue being a 100 win team?
I heard rumors that Lebron is looking to join the dodgers for this season.
Taking his talents to Malibu Beach?
How is it fair for one team to way overbid everybody all the time and run out a payroll that is 3-4 times the size of multiple other teams. There needs to be a hard salary cap.
he wanted the dodgers. sf, nyy, nym were all in the same ballpark.
Pedro,
The PLAYERS don’t want a salary cap. The PLAYERS don’t want a salary cap!
Why are there are 8 teams that had a 2023 starting payroll of less than $100M? That’s what you’re comparing to.
Will this be more like a 450mm deal when CBA taxes are factored in?
[inserts Cartman “yummy tears” GIF]
Reading the article a couple things jumped out to me, one he is averaging between 190- 200 innings per season, compared to the MLB young pitchers where there is no way a 20 to 24 year old pitcher was averaging that many inning even in the minors, I think teams in MLB protect young arms, that could be an issue if the Dodgers are going to keep his seasonal innings, plus our seasons are longer than Japan. The other is his size, I thought he was a lot bigger than 5-10 tall thought he was 6-2 or 6-3.
Bobbie Miller who is bigger, had 22 starts 124 innings in 2023, averaged 5 2/3rd innings per start. At most, a starter will start 34 games, figure 30 with rest. At under 6 innings per start, that’s ~180 innings or so. With proper pitching and load management, Yamamoto has already shown he can throw that much plus postseason.
Pedro Martinez was 5’ 11”, 170 pounds and had a productive 12 of 17 year career, pitched >180 innings in 10 seasons. Fernando Valenzuela was 5’ 11” but much stockier, as was Billy Wagner. Tim Lincecum was much thinner.. Greg Maddox was 6’ 170 pounds and had a long productive career.
So don’t judge a player solely on stature, lots of bigger heavier players and pitchers also get injured or break down, Dustin May and Buehler are examples.
I remember when Bowie Kuhn would not allow the trade of Vida Blue to the Reds for Dave Revering and 1.2 million because it was not in the “best interests of baseball.”
Too bad there is not a commissioner with balls enough to do that now.
LOLmets
I know I’m going to sound bitter here but the Dodgers rotation still has all kinds of questions between injuries, inconsistency, and age plus Yamamoto hasn’t thrown a pitch in MLB. I still think they’ll be great but there is a possibility they aren’t the super team some people expect.
Also, this just in. Out of frustration the Giants sign EVERY REMAINING FREE AGENT!!
That’s why they play the game on the field not on paper. Teams like the Braves, Phils, Rangers et al. all have legit shots.
@GreettheMets,,,, I’m a Dodgers fan & I agree with you. These 2 signings do not guarantee a WS championship for the Dodgers. Lots of questions about almost every one of these starters. Plus really need a better third baseman and a left fielder, maybe even a shortstop. What if Heyman & Margot flop in RF platoon? Sophomore jinx for Outman?
Let’s not hand the Dodgers the World Series championship just yet!
Improved? Yes.
Dynasty? Not hardly!
Fire David Stearns. The Mets are cooked.
A cool billion on two Japanese players in one offseason. I know they have a big window, but how could it not be “ring or bust” in 2024 with those expectations.
Because everyone knows that you can’t buy title in baseball. Steve Cohen can confirm =)
**buy a**
Funny how Yankees and Dodgers are always spending more money than I’ll ever see in my life and hardly ever win a championship.
It’s funny how you think it’s about winning a championship anymore. It’s a business. They know that the likelihood of them profiting off those contracts over their duration is greater than they won’t.
It should be about winning. It’s sad that everything is about money and not winning. Herman Edwards said it best “You Play to Win The Game!” These teams. You laugh at me for thinking that way. Laugh all you want, that’s fine. I just miss the game I loved.
With the Dodgers it is about winning. Friedman said one championship in 10 postseason appearances was a failure, and his job is to make the Dodgers better every season and find ways to do just that. If it means building a top 5-7 farm system and stocked with prospects, he did that. If it means growing talent like Smith, Barnes, Lux, Bellinger, Seager, Jansen, Kershaw, Buehler, Urias, etc. he did that. If it means bringing talent others cast off like Justin Turner, Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, etc. and make them better, he did that. And if it means trading for or signing key players or free agents or extensions for stretch pushes or long term, he’s done that. LIKE EVERY OTHER TEAMS’ GMs SHOULD BE DOING!!
Friedman did this with TB and they were successful. He’s doing the same with LAD, only with a bigger budget and stronger market and owners. As for money, baseball HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE MONEY!! about whether you have some or a lot more, whether you spend it or not, whether you wisely spend it or not.
Frankly, there are at least 6 teams which should be removed from MLB because they refuse to or are unable to spend competitively and cheat their fans of a competitive team. Sure, you get to see someone else’s good team come to play but your team isn’t competitive at all.
And once the players take the field, it’s all about the game. Some players will be better than others, and the games will be played, nothing much has changed there, they play be the rules in force and the outcome is not foregone.
The Dodgers have replaced the Yankees as the most hated team in baseball. 31 other teams fans will be rooting for each other to beat the Dodgers and hope they fail.
31? You mean like some Triple A teams too? Actually you’re probably right.
bring it on
A nearly $400 million dollar commitment for an unproven commodity at the MLB level may be a deal other dreams breath a sigh of relief from a few years down the line.
A lot of hitters today are pikers and bums. I am sure the man will be just fine.
Disgraceful & unfair that one billionaire ownership group is spending a lot of money on their team and most of the other billionaire ownership groups aren’t. Oh wait.
Some of them do it better than others. Yankees spend, but not wisely (ex: Rodon).
LOL! The 2024 LAD salary would only rank them #4 in 2023, and the three teams with larger payrolls missed the playoffs.
Over a thousand comments and growing….
Dodger fans this morning “we still don’t just go out and buy our best players.” RIGHT!
Not really anything to be ashamed of!
We drafted Kershaw, Seager, Buehler, Miller, EVOLDI, etc
Meaning we still draft and develop better than most, free agency is just the reward of the health of the organization. When you do things right, you make money. When you make money you can spend.
Bad for baseball and bad for the fans.
Probably taking out the Yankees Dinasty for 27 years been Champions
Yes we’ve paid over $1 billion this offseason, but we spend wisely. We passed on so many players to get to this season; Trea Turner, Seager, Jansen, Scherzer, Machado, Darvish, Justin Turner and let Bellinger go for nothing.
Aside from trea turner and scherzer those players you mention have all been very successful since leaving the dodgers…maybe they win something if they hold on to some of them
he may not have been as successful himself with the mets but scherzer did pretty well with Texas and has a ring to show for it.
That’s my point, we had many chances to spend, but refrained from doing so.
I see a lot of blown out arms and coming up short when it matters most in the city of of angels. Giving 12 years to any pitcher is ridiculous unless his name is Koufax. One who cannot pitch on 5 days rest ? Ugh.
and assuming you signed koufax to 12 years after his breakout season in 1961 you would have only gotten 5 season before his arm gave out
*bad faith argument as those 5 seasons were otherworldly and resulted in 2 titles
If you are comparing yamamotos stuff to Koufax stuff you are delusional and I would take 5 years of prime Koufax over any pitcher in mlb history at 50 million per 12 years. Yamamoto is decent but lol lol lol lol he lol is no Koufax.
I think this is the one that comes back to haunt The Dodgers. It’s like when you should have stopped drinking at the bar but then you took ONE more shot of tequila . – should have stopped while you were ahead. Hangover for days
It will be interesting to see how the Ohtani and Yamamoto contracts play out over the next 10 to 12 years. And Dave Roberts is on a hot seat made of metal with an active volcano underneath it. Anything less than a World Series title will result in his firing. And the Dodgers team will be under pressure to win big time for the Billion dollars+ that’s been invested in them. Yes, we can now say Billion when discussing MLB and salaries. Glad it wasn’t the Yankees who hit that mark We’d never hear the end of it
Is this what fans really want? 2-5 teams seemingly trying and the rest coming up with bad excuses as to why they can’t compete?
I think MLB needs to find a way to get the 20-25 teams that don’t seem interested in competing to spend some money.
Salary floor
salary floor and salary cap … floor will just move the needle from say average starting pitcher being getting 10M offer from floor teams and to higher revenue offering 15M.
Nope, salary cap isn’t justified.
If you’re scared to spend money, and assume risk, that’s not other clubs problem.
The problem is you got 20+ owners who don’t want to win as much as a few do.
The small market teams should be forced to spend some of the millions of dollars they get from tax penalties that teams like the Yankees and Dodgers pay them every year. I give the Royals credit because they are spending to improve their team Most of the other small market teams do very little to improve their team, instead sticking the free millions they get in the bank or whatever, and doing nothing to very little to make their team more successful. The Rays really did a superb job building a great team from their farm, without much money to blow but if they would have added some key free agents over the last 8-10 years they could have had 2 or 3 rings by now. But not every small team has the where with all to build a team like the Rays did.
At the end of the day maybe the dodgers have spent more money “wisely” than every other team in the past 10+ seasons
..even with that said…they still only have 1 title to show for it in the past 35 years. Aslo sucks that 1 title comes from the most abnormal of circumstances ever…so sure spend away..hows that working out
Dodgers won’t win a WS with Roberts at the helm.
This is very bad for baseball. If ANY team can “buy” the championship year after year, why do we even play the games? This will bite baseball in the butt.
Did you say that about the Padres last season?
Looking at history there have alot of attempts at buying a title . I guess the 23 rangers qualify but it rarely works out as designed. Even the late 90s yankees had a home grown core..there will be something different about this dodgers group i think..aside from bheuler and smith they arent thier guys they are mercs brought in for purpose..ie.. betts grew in the boston org..freeman will end up in the hof as a brave..the japanese imports are just that has both had extensive careers before coming to LA..im no yankee fan but there is something special about having your own core 4..this aint it.
Hey Greg, People say the same thing every year about big spending messing up the game, starting way back when the Yankees signed Catfish Hunter. I think this will actually juice up the game. All the other teams will be gunning for the Dodgers to prove themselves against the best I’m sure Dodger fans will be jacked for a while, maybe a very long while, but the Dodgers will be hated, and whenever the Dodgers are on the road, attendance will jump. Let’s not whine about gloom and doom because of this Still gotta play the games. And as we all know, anything can happen in a short series
What’s bad for baseball is all the small market teams hogging the draft talent. I mean, give some other teams a chance to draft. I suggest a limit on the draft choices of small markets so they can leave talent for the bigger markets.
MLB was worried about uncle Stevie !
Well, I was really hoping Yamamoto would sign with the Yankees Que sera sera. Man, 12 years is a long time Here’s to hoping Yama wears out because of his small stature. Maybe some Tommy John is on the menu for Yamamoto. On the bright side, at least he is in the NL. And I believe Cashman will go out and procure more players for the team. And finally, at least he didn’t sign with the floundering Mets and their mouthy, arrogant fans. I hope the narrative is true that Cohen plans to sit back and not do much if the Mets lose out on Yamamoto. Here’s to another lost season for the Mutts.
Wow you’d wish injury upon a player that didn’t sign with your team. That’s low.
mlbdodgerfan;
Yep! What a pitiful, depressing life some of these trolls & yahoos have! Amazing!
You wanna pay a billion dollars to not win the World Series you be my guest LMAO
Then when they win you’ll be like “cause of the money”
They won’t 🙂
You think the Dodgers would care about whining fans from other teams if they win the WS?
Winning the WS is hardest that it’s ever been with extra rounds and all the wild card nonsense. Bust your ass for 162 all to play Russian roulette MLB playoffs.
Dodgers are just positioning their team for a deep playoff run this year and coming years. That’s all you can hope for as a fan. Whether or not it’s sustainable longer-term we shall see about that. Fair game critique from those here.
Dodgers officially win the 2024 Paper World Series!
I’m glad Stevie Cohen did the job of raising the price tag to over $300 million for the Dodgers. They’re pretty much locked in for their team for a while and will not have much flexibility going forward.
When Yamamoto has Tommy John surgery, nobody will be crying crocodile tears.
Dodgers aren’t done yet. And we don’t care about money.
One would think the Dodgers are assuming that Yamamoto will need a major surgery within the next dozen years. It happens to most pitchers… It is what Yamamoto contributes in the other 9 or 10 years that matters…
Now the Dodgers can be the poster child for teams trying to buy a World Series.
Good to be a Dodger fan right now.
Now the Dodgers can be the poster child for teams trying to buy a World Series.
==========================
LOL! The LAD are nowhere close to what the NYMs attempted last year.
And no, they haven’t caught up to the NYY SDP 2023 payroll.
Where were you guys when the NYM, NYY, and SDP tried to buy the WS?
Dodgers have had the highest payroll in the majors 6 times in the last 10 seasons.
Hopefully this signing is a spectacular failure, as it likely will be.
Hahahaha Steven.
Just a bunch of jealous crybabies in here.
Of course any fanbase is going to wish their team signed Ohtani and Yamamoto. You would be too if it were the Yankees instead.
Welp now I like the Dodgers less than the Astros. That takes something.
They will be top heavy and have no depth! Good move LA! (note the sarcasm)
SFG should pivot to recent bargain SPs , Julio Urias and Trevor Bauer.
Trade for marcel ozuna
If you think baseball is its stars then the Dodger signings are bad for the game. Personally I root for a team not the stars on the team. The best player in baseball can sign with a bad team and still not bring in a winner.(example Trout).
I watch every game my team plays and I enjoy it. I consider a successful season is getting to the playoffs. I have never agreed with the win the world series or it’s a losing season attitude.
It’s a game. It’s entertainment. It’s not life or death.
imagine if both ohtani and yama blow out their elbows and get tommy john surgery….
oh wait….ohtani just had his 2nd tommy john surgery…
i hope they never win a championship and curse the dodgers for 20 years.
At what point should small and midmarket teams consider a home forfeiture in a Dodger series. Not play the game. Can LA profit without the stream of money from maybe 10-15 away games per season? Dodgers get the win-without the play.
LOL! Last year, and the year before that, Cohen bought every player in baseball, and competed hard for the #1 draft pick.
It feels to me like way too many Americans are scared of big round numbers. The LAD aren’t even the biggest spending team this year.
Sure, every small market team is going to give up their home park revenues from a Dodgers road game with arguably the two to four biggest player draws in MLB today. The Dodgers average 32,000 on the road, 3rd in MLB by only 500 from the Cubs. And that is higher than half the teams’ home draws in MLB. Los all the ticket revenue, lose parking, lose concessions, and affect businesses near the park. Big win-win for your city.
But a game or series forfeit would be great. Less Dodgers travel, save on flight, hotel, and get days off to reset hitters and pitching, helping the team with guaranteed wins and more rest, improves chances of getting to postseason.
Have the small market teams forfeit in the postseason too.
I think what cguy is referring to, with forfeitures, is more of a way for other teams to protest how one team spends all the money, and gets every single free agent they want, just like the cross-town Lakers do, in basketball, while 90% of the other teams, can’t even afford to sign ONE desirable free-agent. I’ve never, ever, EVER, have been in support of a salary cap in ANY sport, because it’s anti-American, but if the Dodgers are going to keep up this insane spending spree, you can bet, MLB will in fact, start discussing a cap pretty soon, and that would be a sad day. I’m all for free spending, and teams that WANT to win, but my God, the Dodgers have made an absolute mockery of free agency this winter. You watch, they’ll sign Juan Soto, after the 2024 season. And when does Mike Trout become a free-agent?
They can sign every last FA available but if they don’t bring back Braiser they haven’t got a chance!! All kidding aside it looks more and more Braiser is headed back to us!!!! Happy Christmas to me!!!
Who cares, money for resigning Soto is way more important. We couldn’t have afforded both anyhow. Hitters like him don’t grow on trees and Yama is good, but he ain’t Nolan Ryan!
So much hate for a team that is not even the highest in competitive Balance tax. Maybe they should not have given Heyward and Kelly those one year deals…clearly that has a lot of you uspset as it moved them from 4th to 3rd, passing the Braves.
Guggenheim and Eldridge investors are all Dodgers fans, I assume.
Well, they’re going for it. I can’t fault them for doing so within what the CBA allows.
At least the hater rhetoric is in place. If they fail to win the World Series, “lol you lost and you spent all that money”. If they win it, “of course you won the World Series; game’s rigged and you spent all that money”.
I think this might close the book on Clayton Kershaw. Even if you assume he’s going to pitch next season, which is a big if, it won’t be until July or August from what I hear. The top 3 of LA’s rotation is set, with Yamamoto, Glasnow and Walker Bueheler (we hope). Bobby Miller as the 4th starter sounds good to me. Plenty of youthful options for the 5th slot in spring training. Doesn’t leave a lot of room for Kershaw, particularly in the post season, where he’s hardly his best anyway.
I wear my Hater badge with pride.
I had to for years about the Yanks but now the Dodgers are being hailed for trying to buy a championship.
Excluding injuries to players, I hope for nothing but the absolute worse for LAD; including getting curb stomped by a team like the Rays.
What a joke
Poor Mets just can’t get your attention…
@BuckarooBanzai; What a pitiful life!
The joke Buckaroo is you
I wish him nothing but enduring health and success, especially now that he isn’t a Yankee.
The structuring of Ohtani’s contract is designed to save him $90-$100 million in California state taxes.
taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2023/12/shohei-oh…
So does this put the dodgers up to third best in nl still behind the braves and philly?
Sure, we’ll take that. If you didn’t notice, all three of them were beat in the postseason. Happens in baseball. ALL the division winners were knocked out last postseason too.
What the Dodgers are trying to do is get deeper into the postseason and make the WS. If they do, they’ve got a good chance of winning.
The Dodgers will be great in the regular season, once again, but will fall flat on their arrogant faces, come October, I guarantee you. And once Yamamoto becomes an average pitcher, and needs Tommy John Surgery, by year 2 or 3, of this totally insane, 12 year contract, Dodger fans won’t be so giddy. The Yankees need to counter, by getting Corbin Burnes, and Blake Snell, for wayyyyyyyy, less money, and years, and will be perfectly fine. My guess is, that Ohtani, and Yamamoto, will be signings the Dodgers regret, and unless there is another shortened season, like 1981, or 2020, they won’t be smiling much of all. They will always be a very cheap, imitation, of Professional Sport’s Greatest Franchise, the New York Yankees. I was actually relieved that we didn’t land this guy, for a completely ridiculous 10-12 year contract. The LA Dodgers, are merely a completely, out of control, spending machine, like the Yankees became in 2002. Not going to help the Dodgers, a single bit. Especially with Magic Johnson, part of the ownership group.
BEAT LA
A lot of teams make the playoffs and don’t do well. The Atlanta braves in the 90s won’t ten straight division championships and only won once. The level of winning championships is tough to maintain
what loser squad do you waste your time on Keena?
The loser squad that has more than twice as many rings as your Dodgers do.
which makes you a Yankees fan. All the best with that.
The Dodgers won’t keep Yamamoto 12 years. They will trade him and his salary down the road. When he’s still of value. Same with Shohei. They might have to eat some of their salary but not a large part. They knew what they were doing
He has a point Dodgers weren’t going after big time free agents. Why did they let trea turner walk and not sign a big time shortstop?
And what’s the Dodgers weakest position? Shortstop
Because they were hopeful that Gavin Lux, who has played in just 273 games in his career would be the guy, but he injured his knee early spring training, which forced him to miss than entire 2023 season, then they went with Miguel Rojas, who had the worst season of his career..
Turner had a spectacularly terrible year last year. I see him bouncing back
As White Sox fan, I am insanely jealous of the Dodgers and their fans. They get to see a top notch org not afraid to spend bucks and try to build a good team. Nothing is guaranteed, as the players must produce, but you cannot say the front office is not trying!
Unlike the powermad miser on the southside that took a promising rebuilding team, destroyed it at the last minute by stabbing his manager in the back, the guy that suffered through the rebuild to get ‘The Chairman’s” team to the playoffs, with his decision to bring back a guy too old to manage, only to then fire his org for his miscue and leave a guy that looks like he should still be in HS as the GM, with the apparently only qualification is that he was already in the org.
This is awful writing:
“Yamamoto, then, would be leaving the highest salaries of his contract on the table if he opts out and reenters free agency.”
Literally no reason to write it this way and chop it up like you’re the Saudi government when instead, this works better:
“Yamamoto would then be leaving the highest salaries of his contract on the table if he opts out and reenters free agency.”
More awful writing:
“Aggressive as the signing is for L.A.”
This is NOT proper English. It HAS to be “AS aggressive as the signing is for L.A.“ This is basic English grammar, FFS. Write with proper grammar, you hack. Please fire these posers like Franco, Deeds, and Adams and hire some real writers.
It’s a baseball aggregation site dude. Go jerk off to the dictionary,
I didn’t know the dictionary was where grammar lived.
It’s a news site and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be held to the same standards as other news sites.
The Dodgers are gonna have to made at least one trade. They have too many players trapped on the farm. Maybe see a player signed and traded to the Dodgers for prospects.
agreed
so enjoyable reading about the “death of baseball” and all the people who will never watch another game and the evil Dodgers and all the predictions of injuries, plane crashes, natural and unnatural disasters that will befall the boys in blue. what a bunch of whining, hypocritical, sore losers. I can’t wait for the season to start. It’s gonna be SO MUCH FUN!
Yeah, I get that they’re not happy about the Dodgers getting Ohtani and Yamamoto, but even so, they still should not be acting the way they are, as the way they are acting is completely uncalled for and the entirety of it is really stupid. I mean, they could still act poorly about it without using any of that mean crap.
Yep. Haters with small minds. What can you do? They are their own best reward, Just enjoy it all.
Dodger fans we must get behind Kershaw when he retires to make sure he gets in the hall of fame. The writers will say he was a terrible playoff pitcher but I contend he was a victim of foul ball. How can a player in this day and age have the same umpire call your first seven games in a row. All losses. It would have been eight if the Dodgers would not have removed Kershaw and pitched Greinke that day. Greinke won and the next game Kershaw won his first playoff game without Alan Porter behind the plate. Porter was obviously out to get Kershaw. Behind the plate in St. Louis the day in July when Kershaw gave up 8 runs and it cost him the Cy young. He was behind the plate earlier that year when Philadelphia after trailing Kershaw all day by four runs miraculously made a late inning rally. After walking the bases loaded won the game. That year porters crew at one point were 1-11 in games the umpired that involved the Dodgers. I was on ESPN chat complaining about them when they suddenly began calling the games right. Maybe someone noticed my complaints. But Kershaw was a victim. He should be in the hall of fame
are you serious? first ballot is a lock.
Yes but writers take playoff wins into consideration when voting. The number of championships is important too. I see trouble for him
Then you’re reading the wrong writers. Kershaw is a slam-dunk HOF’er.
210W and 92L with 2.48 ERA (1st among active pitchers in both categories), 2,944 K’s and 79.9 WAR over 1 16-year career. 10 All Star selections. MVP in 2014. THREE Cy Young Awards. Led the league in ERA 5 times. A no hitter. First ballot without question.
Agreed with Mojo. Strong playoff performances can bolster a borderline or weak Hall candidate, but it never goes the other way. No one with regular-season stats like Kershaw’s has ever missed the Hall unless they were kept out for character issues. The pitcher most similar to Kershaw by WAR who’s outside the Hall is Curt Schilling, and I’m going to say his playoff performance is not the reason.
Both Kershaw and Schilling are HOFers.
Kershaw is also a HOF human being.
Both should be HOFers but because pinko sports writers don’t like Schilling it won’t happen.
Schilling’s history speaks for itself. Both on the field and off.
I’m a pinko who doesn’t like Schilling myself, but I think the Hall should be about what you do on the field, so I’d put him in. If we’re keeping everyone out who seems like a dick and whose views aren’t progressive by 2023 standards., we’d have to take a lot of guys out.
He’s a Conservative, so that’s why they hate him. I hated him as a player, because I’m a Yankees fan, but now I like him. Personally, I think he’s a borderline HOFer. I want MLB to get back to having the highest possible standards on getting into the Hall of Fame. To me, there should be NO DOUBT, when you mention a certain name. If there’s any debate, whatsoever, no Hall of Fame. It should be reserved for the greatest of the greatests. And the fact that they let David Ortiz in, changes my mind about the rest of the cheaters. Let Bonds, Clemens and A-Rod in, if you let Ortiz in.
Indeed he is! Complete class act.
So what? The Rangers signed Derek Hill today!
1 penny per year, $324,999,999.88 deferred until 2060.
Spending the most doesn’t guarantee a championship. or even a trip to the WS.
I’m not ready to crown the Dodgers.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Lots of pressure to win now. Ima laugh when they put out of the playoffs and a billion dollars is on the IL.
when you can’t raise your own spirits lower the countryside. sad.
One question. Is there any money left for extending Bobby Miller?
we have 4 years before that’s necessary
Are you sure of that? Miller might decide to go somewhere else if they nickel and dime him up to free agency. The current system favors foreign players over American born players.
It favors foreign players who have been professionals past 6 seasons, much like U.S.-born players. So if Roki wants to come over before that he has to do what Ohtani did and wait.
Remember YY hasn’t yet thrown a pitch in MLB. He could be another Kei igawa.
He’ll be another Dice K.
Well, the expectations are so high, he’s almost guaranteed to disappoint! But in a world where there are no sane bets anymore, there are great arguments for this insanity.
Dodgers don’t seem interested in extending pitchers. Buehler is actually a good example why. As is Urias. For different reasons. Miller will be a free agent exactly when Tyler Glasnow comes off the books (actually, Glasnow could come off the books a year earlier) and one year before Yamamoto’s first opt-out, which if he pitches well, will be triggered. It’s all mapped out!
Oh, and Freeman is off the books in four years, too. This is set up for a 5 year run while ushering in the next deep wave or two of top prospects. Will it go as planned? Surely not exactly. But it’s about odds and probabilities. And maybe the biggest related factor: health. (And not beating up women – so depressing to have to say that after the last few years). It’s hard to argue any team is better set up.
Watched presser. Key takeaway for me: his dedication. Routine, nutrition, passion for excellence and improvement. Like Ohtani.
Only 720 some to 2000. Let’s keep then rolling in.
Bump
Wills
Cajones. Lots of money at risk
F him.