The Los Angeles Dodgers: Buying a Championship, or Setting up for Failure?

The Dodgers looked like a strong playoff threat at the trade deadline last year, fielding a team that could’ve easily added another world series run to their resume, and they put any fear of not winning the division behind them with a strong run by the end of the year. They got a first round bye in the playoffs, everything was going for them to do something great.

Then they got swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who didn’t even look like they wanted to make the playoffs in the second half of the season. The disappointment of another strong regular season would ring alarm bells within the front office. GM Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts would take this opportunity to get the biggest names, and spend a ton of cash in order to do it.

The Dodgers are this off-season’s biggest spenders.

The baseball world was shocked when Shohei Ohtani, this generation’s greatest ball player, elected to stay in Los Angeles with the Dodgers. There was perhaps even more shock when the contract was announced to be a 10 year deal worth $700 million. Crazier still was the fact he deferred $680 million to the end of the contract, so the team could keep spending on proven winners. His salary is now a meager $2 million per year until the end of the decade-long contract, and then he’ll be paid in much larger sums afterwards. All this for a player who is coming off a devastating injury that will prevent him from pitching at least for this year.

He’s that good.

The Dodgers then added pitching phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto from Japan on a whopping 12 year, $325 million contract. The hottest pitcher on the market takes some pressure off the rotation which lacks Ohtani for this year, and will make it a deadly rotation when Ohtani returns to the mound. Yamamoto would help a pitching rotation that is struggling with their aces becoming free agents, and debating retirement. If Clayton Kershaw returns, then everyone better watch out. This pitching duo could be elite.

Don’t forget the Dodgers also have Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Max Muncy, and Freddie Freeman. All of these players are all-star caliber, and are at the top of their class. This is a winning roster on paper, which should be very exciting for Dodgers fans.

Can the Dodgers buy a ring?

The Dodgers will be spending over a billion dollars for the combination of Shohei and Yamamoto, something that would scare away any small market owner. The payroll once all is said and done is going to hurt the wallets of owner Mark Walter and friends, but will it be worth it?

Realistically, spending this much money would be overkill for a single championship, especially for a team as prestigious as the Dodgers, but this is a big market team that is hungry for more than just another NLCS appearance. However, paying this much is a massive risk. Los Angeles should look no further than the Mets -who last season had the highest payroll and missed the playoffs entirely, sending a message that higher payrolls don’t automatically result in championships.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, a division rival of the Dodgers, made the world series with the leagues 10th lowest payroll. The Dodgers should be wary of making so many win-now moves. Ignoring the future can often lead to some disasters later on down the road. If the Miami Heat with LeBron are looked at as a disappointment with 2 championships, then the Dodgers need to become a new dynasty for this all to be worth it.

The Dodgers are set up to win now- not later

The ultimate goal for the Dodgers is the same as any other team’s. Win the World Series as soon as possible. The way they went about it was similar to their counterpart, the Los Angeles Rams. They signed big names, and have such a huge payroll that it would shock anyone. Their roster is built without the future in mind.

When these contracts really hit, it’ll leave the Dodgers hurting for cash. In a few years, they’ll have to resign Betts, Freeman, Muncy and others. While the ownership is not shy from throwing around the money, they could be in a sticky situation, choosing between newer, younger guys, or their proven vets. These decisions are usually what makes a contender into a bottom feeder. Maybe we won’t see the effects now, but in a few seasons this could turn into a disastrous situation.

The sky is the limit for the Dodgers, at least for these next 2 seasons. When it comes time to try and keep their window open by signing free agents or re-signing key players, they’ll run into trouble. Even if the trouble is just the luxury tax, there is going to be struggles to keep this roster competitive for a long time. If they can’t get it done by the time the supporting cast needs to be overhauled, that’s when we will run into trouble.

Whatever happens will be the story in the baseball world, and with baseball surging as a sport, this could be a top sports story-line to follow for the next few years. If you’re a fan of any other team in the National league, be afraid of this new super team. For the next few years, anything short of World Series domination is considered a failure.

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