By The Los Angeles Dodgers are making big splashes in recruiting top talents, but some Major League Baseball fans are upset.
The World Series champions are ensuring their dominance in the NL West and loyalty from fans by signing free agents this off-season.
Notable deals include a five-year contract for starting pitcher Blake Snell (two-time Cy Young winner), a three-year deal for utility player Hyeseong Kim (Korean international free agent) and the signing of Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki.
The Dodgers also re-signed relief pitcher Blake Treinen (two-year) and outfielder Teoscar Hernández (three-year).
As a long time Dodger fan, it is exciting to see my team invest in talent during this off-season while deferring contracts to maintain a competitive edge.
Fans across Los Angeles celebrate one of the Dodgers’ many World Series championships at their victory parade on November. 1, 2024. Photo credit: Matthew Medina
However, not all MLB fans are happy with the Dodgers’ strategy, accusing them of gaming the system.
The Dodgers have used this strategy since 2020, signing outfielder Mookie Betts to a 12-year, $365 million deal with $45 million deferred by 2025.
Additionally, fans took particular notice after last year’s unprecedented 10-year, $700 million deal contract with two-way player Shohei Ohtani, deferring $136 million to be paid between 2034 and 2043.
Fans are calling for MLB to reform the practice of signing and deferring contracts.
They’re asking the MLB commissioner to implement both a salary floor (setting a minimum spending requirement for teams) as well as a salary cap (capping the maximum amount teams are allowed to spend).
Richard Tizo, a fourth-year Long Beach State student majoring in Japanese, has been a Los Angeles Angels fan since the early 2000’s, and isn’t surprised by the Dodgers retaining dominance through deferrals.
“I’m not surprised about the Dodgers spending a whole lot of cash on talented players… It’s something you don’t see a lot since probably the 90’s Yankees,” Tizo said.
Fans fly signs and Dodger flags as they celebrate the 2024 Dodgers World Series Championship on November. 1, 2024 near Downtown Los Angeles. Photo credit: Matthew Medina
“I honestly wished that the Padres were able to spend like them,” Monse Palacios, a fourth-year family and consumer sciences major and avid San Diego Padres fan, said.
She knew firsthand how badly the fanbase wanted a World Series, as they are one of only five teams without a title.
MLB owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association will discuss the salary floor and cap at the next Collective Bargaining Agreement meeting in the 2026 off-season.
When asked if implementing a salary floor and cap would increase competition, Tizo responded optimistically but cautiously.
“If it means that the Angels can be competitive again, I’m also kind of worried that the owners could be using [the salary cap to] stuff even more money in [their own] pockets,” Tizo said.
Palacios, however, offered a passionate reply.
“I hope it does happen soon. San Diego needs to win for once,” she said.
The current CBA has no rule against teams deferring multiple contracts.
The Dodgers are free to sign any agents and defer contacts as long as both parties agree to the terms.
I believe the Dodgers have showcased the gap between them and the other 29 teams in how they spend on free agents, revealing the competitive imbalance plaguing the league.
Deferral contracts will only affect them once they’re completed, but until then, they’ll do whatever it takes to clinch another title in Los Angeles.
