Since when is winning considered morally wrong?
The Dodgers have asserted themselves as the “villains” of MLB after their flurry of extravagant free agent signings. This offseason, they once again added gas to the fire after paying up for Edwin Diaz (3yr/$69M) and Kyle Tucker (4yr/$240M). As expected, the baseball community called for their heads and for change regarding the competitive balance.
However, anyone blaming the Dodgers for the unequal competitiveness around the league is not aware of the true state of the sport.
Big-market teams such as the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs all had the opportunity to offer either one of these two players the same contract. The Mets offered it to Bo Bichette (3yr/$126M) and Chicago did the same with Alex Bregman (5yr/$175M). We shouldn’t be criticizing the Dodgers, but rather praising and applauding them for their excellent efforts of going for it all year after year.
“They only win because of the deferrals”. Let’s stop right here. Although it is true deferrals have been a staple in the Dodgers’ recent money splurge, every single organization has them at their disposal. Jose Ramirez signed a 7yr/$175M with Cleveland with 40% of it being deferred. Following along, Alex Bregman’s already mentioned deal has the same 40% deferral rate. This goes to show the Dodgers are not the only ones using the rules to their advantage; still, they are the ones being heavily antagonized for it.
What’s beyond baffling is the fact teams such as the Milwaukee Brewers are not receiving heavy scrutiny for their continued mediocrity. The “Brew-Crew” obtained the best overall record in 2025 but was ultimately short of a World Series appearance after getting steamrolled by the Dodgers. The natural reaction should have been to assess and reload for a better chance in 2026. What did they do? They traded away their ace Freddy Peralta to the Mets in order to save, hold on, $8M. But they didn’t stop there, they also parted ways with their sensational young 3B Caleb Durbin in exchange of Kyle Harrison. It is tragic how ownership in Milwaukee prioritizes personal profits instead of investing it to a team that has real possibilities to be crowned.
These are the true villains of the sport, not the other way around.
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