Olney: Financial disparity among teams has long existed, but the Dodgers' payroll will serve to galvanize the effort of other owners to rebuild the sport's financial system through some kind of proposed cap-and-floor design. As one former player said: "It's like we're back in 1994 -- you've got some owners looking for the players to solve ownership issues." The players went on strike in August of 1994, of course, and that fall's World Series was canceled. But it remains to be seen how far the owners will push to revamp the system, and whether the players' coalition will hold together as strongly as it did three decades ago.
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a couple of splashes by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz to lucrative contracts, but they have also emphasized bolstering their overall depth this offseason. The club reunited with Carlos Duran, Nick Frasso, Nick Robertson and Chuckie Robinson on Minor League deals, and more recently signed Ryder Ryan, the older brother of River Ryan. But as the last few seasons have shown, a club can never have too much pitching depth, and the Dodgers have added another arm with MLB experience.
The signing of outfielder Kyle Tucker has sparked a total meltdown on social media, with fanbases from all over the MLB spectrum coming out of the woodwork and calling out the Dodgers for "ruining baseball." Tucker is set to earn $60 million per season, an incredibly high average annual value, which will have him among the highest-paid athletes in the sport. He is joining a team already full of stars in Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman - the reigning World Series champions.
Irvin makes his return to North American ball after spending the 2025 season in Seoul with the Doosan Bears of the KBO League. Over 28 starts and 144 2/3 innings with the Bears, Irvin posted a 4.48 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, and 12.2% walk rate. For comparison's sake, Irvin had a 4.54 ERA, 17.1 K% and 5.6 BB% over 593 innings at the Major League level from 2019-24, so the lack of control is a sudden red flag.
Improving the defense was important - just as important as improving the offensive output. The eye test would tell you as much. By bringing Kyle Tucker in - who, let's be real, was brought in because of his bat - the Dodgers have done that. While Tucker isn't the fleetest of foot outfielder anymore, his improvement over Teoscar Hernandez should be apparent next season.
The Dodgers are able to keep an additional $66 million every year because of how their TV deal is structured with MLB. When the organization filed for bankruptcy in 2011, the league agreed to lock in a fair market value for the rights of Dodgers baseball. Therefore, a significant portion of the $334 million the Dodgers earn annually from the deal is exempt from MLB's revenue sharing due to the bankruptcy settlement.
The final calculations for the luxury tax bill of all 30 MLB teams have been revealed recently, with the Los Angeles Dodgers paying a record amount of $169.4 million in penalties for the 2025 season. The competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold continued its growth for the 2025 MLB season with a new high of $241 million, but the Dodgers far surpassed it with a payroll of $417.3 million.
Roki Sasaki came back into the game after a scoreless eighth inning, but quickly found himself in a hole. He plunked Alejandro Kirk and allowed a controversial ground rule double to give the Blue Jays men on second and third with no outs. Tyler Glasnow relieved Sasaki afterwards and got a huge out, forcing Ernie Clement to pop out to first baseman Freddie Freeman and keep the runners in place.
The right-hander allowed four hits through his nine innings, letting just one run cross the plate in the bottom of the third inning. He also struck out eight batters, the second-highest tally he had throughout the postseason. He didn't allow a single walk throughout the game and managed to get through nine frames with just 105 pitches. Will Smith hit a go-ahead homer in the top of the seventh inning, ultimately making the difference for the Dodgers.
Broadcaster Joe Davis was put in a bit of a pickle the last two seasons. The lead broadcaster for FOX, he had the task of calling the last two World Series featuring the team he covers on a daily basis in the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite his young age relative to the profession, Davis is a pro - and is undeniably objective in calling games even when he has immense familiarity/relationships with the Dodgers organization.
(Los Angeles Times Staff) It's timmmme! Join Los Angeles Times Dodgers beat reporter Jack Harris and columnists Dylan Hernández and Bill Plaschke for our very special 2025 Dodgers Debate Christmas Special. The trio will discuss the signing of Miguel Rojas and Edwin Díaz, who else might be on the 2026 roster, the World Baseball Classic, whether the Dodgers can three-peat and more.
Episode 20 of Fan Cave Battles may be the best evidence yet that Dodgers Nation never lets us down. This week's episode not only showcases another group of imaginative fan settings, but it also crowns the Fan Cave Champion of the Month. The competition was captivating from beginning to end.
The last notable deal between the two was clearly won by the Astros. The Dodgers acquired reliever Josh Fields for an unheralded outfielder named Yordan Alvarez. Since then, Alvarez has made three All-Star appearances and is one of the better slugging outfielders in the sport. Fields pitched decently in parts of three seasons, though he was clearly nowhere near as impactful as Alvarez.
The Dodgers handed Tanner Scott $72 million last winter. It hasn't worked out. So, on Tuesday, the Dodgers handed Edwin Díaz $69 million. If the Dodgers are going to be Exhibit A for Walter's rival owners to cry about how desperately they need a salary cap, bring it on. If Walter's rival owners demand that players be locked out next winter and not be allowed back until they relent and accept a salary cap, well, bring that on too.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been connected to multiple relief pitchers, but have yet to land one of their targets. That list included Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Helsley, who all signed new contracts. Edwin Díaz remains in play as the top available option, but the Dodgers are unlikely to meet his demands. Outside of Díaz, Robert Suarez is the best relief pitcher still available in free agency.
Cody Bellinger, a very popular name right now across Major League Baseball. I was told that no fewer than three large-market teams are actively courting Cody Bellinger. Yes, the two New York teams, and then potentially also the Phillies and the Dodgers. So maybe actually four big-market teams are showing interest in Bellinger.
On Dec. 3, 2007, longtime Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley earned the minimum amount of votes necessary for induction and was posthumously elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the veterans committee. The famed owner, who entered the Hall of Fame officially during an induction ceremony in 2008, oversaw the Dodgers organization from 1950 until his death in 1979 at the age of 75.
