Since the Los Angeles Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series, claims that they are ruining the sport have gained momentum. The Dodgers’ financial muscle was always considered a key example of payroll disparity in MLB. But recently, MLB cited the Dodgers to push their salary cap agenda and how capping salaries would help teams like the Dodgers spend within limits.

The Dodgers’ 2026 payroll stands around $302 million, but is that wrong for a team to go all-out? Miguel Rojas wondered as he was clearly annoyed by the unwarranted attention his team was getting.

“We shouldn’t be the reason why they propose something like that,” veteran infielder Miguel Rojas echoed. “It is annoying.”

In 2025, the Dodgers spent around $515 million, while the Miami Marlins spent around $ million. That’s around a $446 million payroll gap. Moreover, the Dodgers’ $515 million payroll last year is more than the combined payrolls of the Cleveland Guardians, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and the Marlins. MLB thinks the Dodgers should be like these small-market teams and not the other way around.

“The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue Clubs, weaken the Competitive Balance Tax, and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today. For example, under the Union, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments. It gives them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.” MLB cited the Dodgers in countering MLBPA’s demand to increase the luxury tax threshold and implement a salary floor.

“Of course they’re always gonna go after the people spending the most,” said catcher Will Smith. According to MLBPA and the Dodgers clubhouse, the Dodgers should ideally be promoted as the best example of how an MLB team should operate. The teams spending less should be disciplined to spend more, and not limit the teams already spending

What’s more surprising is that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred praised the Dodgers’ spending habit last year. “The Dodgers have gone out and done everything possible, always within the rules that currently exist, to put the best possible team on the field,” Manfred said last year. “I think that’s a great thing for the game. That type of competitive spirit is what people want to see.”

LA clubhouse wonders what made MLB now cite them to push their salary cap agenda. However, this hints at an upcoming intense battle in the coming months. MLBPA’s former head, Tony Clarke, called the salary cap an “institutionalized collusion” last year. MLB, on the other hand, is pushing hard to bring equality by capping the upper payroll limit. It indicates a labour battle that could lead to a lockout, and the Dodgers are unfortunately caught in the crossfire.

However, MLB may still be failing to see where the Dodgers’ competitiveness lies.

The Dodgers’ USP lies elsewhere

The Dodgers have an advantage over other MLB teams through their massive $8.35 billion, 25-year local television deal by bypassing strict league revenue-sharing rules and insulating themselves from the financial collapse of regional sports networks. For reference, MLB takes a percentage of TV revenues, but the Dodgers’ cut is based on a smaller $3 billion valuation from a prior agreement, not their actual $8.35 billion deal.

“The first big turning point came when the Dodgers partnered with Time Warner Cable to launch SportsNet LA. But because the Dodgers had just gone bankrupt and MLB wanted to help one of their historic franchises get better, there was an exception in the contract,” sports journalist Joon Lee reported.

Back in 2011, LA filed for bankruptcy. The league agreed to lock the media rights in a fair market value that enabled the team to keep an additional $66 million every year. The contract runs through 2038 with an average annual value of $334 million, vastly out-earning smaller-market teams that make less than $40 million a year. MLB could alter something here if the Dodgers’ financial dominance needs to be controlled. But how they reacted could bring the entire league to a standstill.