The Los Angeles Dodgers have infuriated many baseball fans with their spending spree this offseason, and commissioner Rob Manfred has certainly taken note of the complaints.
Coming off a second World Series win in the last five years, the Dodgers have operated with the type of urgency you would expect from a team in a massive championship drought. Their competitive balance tax payroll, which takes deferred contracts into account, is somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 million. That places L.A. more than $150 million above the luxury tax threshold.
Manfred was asked again on Tuesday about the calls for a salary cap that would keep teams like the Dodgers from outspending everyone. He reiterated that he does not view L.A.’s spending as a negative but insisted he is not ignoring the concerns.
“It’s clear we have fans in some markets that are concerned about the ability of the team in their market to compete with the financial resources of the Dodgers,” Manfred said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “If we’ve been consistent on one point, it is we try to listen to our fans on topics like this.”
That does not mean Manfred believes a significant change like a salary cap is needed. Nightengale noted that Major League Baseball made a record $12.1 billion in revenue last season. The game also thrived in the 1990s when the New York Yankees consistently outspent everyone and became known as “The Evil Empire” because of it.
The Dodgers have signed star free-agent pitchers Blake Snell and Tanner Scott this offseason. They also re-signed Teoscar Hernandez and brought in Japanese star Roki Sasaki. Manfred applauded the franchise for operating within the rules and seemed to indicate that teams that refuse to spend are the issue.
“I think that’s a great thing for the game. That type of competitive spirit is what people want to see. … If I’m going to be critical of something, it’s not going to be the Dodgers. It’s going to be the system,” Manfred said.
Manfred has said he would like teams to share their television revenue, which is the structure that exists in the NFL.
Even some big-market teams have had complaints about the Dodgers. But if a team has the resources to spend, it is better for the game that they use the money on players rather than having ownership line their pockets. Manfred understands that element of the equation and is not in favor of anything radical that would change it.
