Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani owns a $700 million contract, yet Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich and a $143.7 million roster have the defending champions staring at a sweep in the National League Championship Series.

“The owners in baseball who want a salary cap are not happy right now,” WFAN host Tommy Lugauer said on his radio show, in a clip posted by the @WFAN660 account.

“Because if the Brewers, Rays, or Guardians win the World Series, then the owners who want a salary cap are not going to have a leg to stand on. They want the Dodgers to win so they can get the court of public opinion on their side.”

Fan sentiment adds power to the argument.

The Athletic poll of 14,154 people shows 68% in support of a hard cap, up from 59% in 2022.

The Dodgers alone owe luxury tax payments of $180.8 million, more than the entire salary budget of the Brewers.

“It defies human experience to ask a fan to think that the bottom end of that gap has the same opportunity to win as the top,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said during a question-and-answer session at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Manfred mentioned the payroll difference of about $450 million between the highest and lowest payers.

The Dodgers have spent $340.6 million, whereas the sum spent by the Brewers, Rays, and Guardians amounts to $316.6 million. This is the reason why the league continues to talk about Chavez Ravine.

“Owners do not intend to pivot from their contentions,” ESPN insider Jeff Passan wrote in his report for ESPN on the league’s stance during the postseason.

Such inflexibility can be traced to May, when MLB offered a proposal for a 50-50 revenue share with a cap of $245.3 million and a floor of $171.2 million. The negotiations have since fallen flat.

The collective bargaining agreement will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 1.

“It’s not a payroll issue. It’s commitment to winning,” Guardians first baseman Nathaniel Lowe said in a postseason interview.

October has backed him up here.

The Rays swept the New York Yankees, who have the third-biggest luxury tax payroll, in the American League Division Series. The Brewers then defeated the San Diego Padres in four games (3-1) even though they were $109.9 million behind them in total spending.

“We’re very cognizant of the fans, and actually think a salary-cap system is worse for fans,” MLB Players Association interim executive director Bruce Meyer said in response to the survey results.

Meyer’s camp relies on the standings.

The Brewers posted an MLB-high 103 wins to achieve the league’s best record for a second consecutive season, while Tampa Bay’s 98 wins were the most in the American League. That’s why the Players Association considers the payroll imbalance case a smokescreen.

“We were part of an iconic performance, maybe the best individual performance ever in a postseason game,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said at Dodger Stadium after Game 4 of last year’s NLCS.

Murphy was referring to Shohei Ohtani’s performance in which he hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters in more than six innings while giving up only two hits. The Milwaukee team had been swept back then. But this season’s three-game lead has so far been impressive.

Milwaukee has stayed afloat via its pipeline. An eight-year, $88 million extension was signed by left-fielder Jackson Chourio, while shortstop Cooper Pratt and right-hander Jacob Misiorowski grew up under general manager Matt Arnold. 

One victory will deny the Dodgers their three-peat opportunity, but MLB says that this makes no difference.