When the Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts boldly claimed his team was about to “ruin baseball” by winning four more games, it was supposed to be swag and a show of dominance. However, that’s not what happened because that statement poured gasoline on an already heated debate about the Dodgers’ massive payroll and the apparent monopoly on talent they have. Fans of all teams rolled their eyes, calling LA “bad for baseball.” 

But not everyone is buying that narrative. Giants veteran Justin Verlander’s brother, Ben Verlander, decided to speak against that script of fans. In his eyes, the LA Dodgers are not the villains; they are just doing something that every team should be doing—investing and getting the returns in wins. Didn’t their last championship show that!

Verlander, in his podcast, mentioned, “Why are people mad at the Dodgers? Calling them a super team? Saying this is bad for baseball? Let me tell you something. The problem is not the Dodgers. The problem is all these other teams not willing to pay their own players when they have them.” 

Verlander didn’t stop there; he pointed out how the players like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow all came to the Los Angeles Dodgers because their former teams simply refused to pay them. Verlander, in short, summed it up: “The league would look totally different if the Pittsburgh Pirates paid Tyler Glasnow, the Tampa Rays paid Blake Snell, the Boston Red Sox paid Mookie Betts, and the Los Angeles Angels paid Shohei Ohtani,” he said. “Don’t blame the Dodgers. Blame the other teams.”

He has got a point; the Dodgers spent about 75% of their revenue on the on-field product. Meanwhile, here is the figure most of the other teams hover around—30%. That is not greed; that is commitment to win. And Los Angeles is not simply writing the checks; they are busy building, developing, and sustaining. It’s why they are in their fifth World Series in nine seasons, and they haven’t missed the postseason in 13 years.

So maybe the Dodgers are not ruining baseball; they may simply be redefining it. The real issue is not them spending too much; it’s just that too many teams spend too little. Fans shouldn’t be mad at the Dodgers for wanting to win; maybe they should ask their teams why they don’t care much to spend. As for the Dodgers, there is another big market name they already seem to be eyeing!

Dodgers eye Kyle Tucker, but should they risk it?

The Los Angeles Dodgers are steamrolling their way towards another championship, and it’s honestly starting to feel like deja vu, isn’t it? After they swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, they are now one step away from winning back-to-back World Series titles. Whether they gave Seattle or Toronto hardly matters; they will be favorites either way. But even before the Dodgers get the crown, they are already planning.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, LA is not planning to stay quiet this offseason. One would think that, given they have a roster of superstars, they would remain quiet, but that’s not how LA rolls. And this time, the Dodgers’ next big target is Kyle Tucker, according to Heyman. That name itself turns heads. Despite him missing some time due to injury, he still hit. 266 with 133 hits, 22 homers, and 73 RBIs. Those are numbers any team would love, and with a possible opening at third base, if the Dodgers decline the Max Muncy options, the match seems made in heaven. Tucker could get right in and make an already dangerous lineup completely terrifying.

But here is the catch—chemistry. The Dodgers’ 2025 roster looks almost identical to last year’s championship team. But this, too, is not by accident, given Dave Roberts knows exactly how to get the best out of his players. And his guts know each other’s rhythms like clockwork. So, it’s that familiarity, not just the star power, that’s fueling their run. So while bringing in Tucker might seem like an upgrade, it could make a mess of that balance. In the end, it may be something that’s a “why fix if it ain’t broken” situation. If the Dodgers put off the repeat, they will be the first to do it since the late ’90s Yankees.