Is anyone still doubting the Dodgers are going to win the World Series?

[YouTheManNick]

I put money on the Dodgers to win the World Series back on February 3rd.

After I cash it, I'll put a chunk of it on them to win in 2026.

I'm not even a gambler. I just like free money.

[base set]

Originally Posted by Handsome Wes

Quick question and I am too lazy to figure out the answer - pretty sure that Betts signed a contract extension after COVID kicked in (post mid-March 2020). I am not so sure that any of the other teams 28 teams, had they traded for him, would have been so willing to shell out such a huge contract at a time with so much uncertainty.

Again, calculated risk, and again, not decrying the Dodgers for anything. It's Boston's fault for not wanting to pay a franchise star. Just thinking aloud here.

I thought the Red Sox thinking at the time was that they could extend Betts, or Devers, but not both?

Or maybe that they couldn’t hold onto those two plus Bogaerts. They haven’t been Tampa-like anyway.

[YouTheManNick]

Originally Posted by base set

I thought the Red Sox thinking at the time was that they could extend Betts, or Devers, but not both?

Or maybe that they couldn’t hold onto those two plus Bogaerts. They haven’t been Tampa-like anyway.

Oh. They could have. They just chose not to.

Self-imposed limitations. Why pay the players when you can keep it for yourself?

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by YouTheManNick

I put money on the Dodgers to win the World Series back on February 3rd.

After I cash it, I'll put a chunk of it on them to win in 2026.

I'm not even a gambler. I just like free money.

Talk about counting chickens before they hatch.....the Dodgers haven't even won the 2025 World Series yet.....

Although it shouldn't need pointing out, the Mariners and Blue Jays are both much better than the Brewers.....the Mariners have solid starters, and the Blue Jays have three.

The Brewers had Fredy Peralta and a bunch of bullpen arms....that was NEVER going to beat the Dodgers.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Talk about counting chickens before they hatch.....the Dodgers haven't even won the 2025 World Series yet.....

Although it shouldn't need pointing out, the Mariners and Blue Jays are both much better than the Brewers.....the Mariners have solid starters, and the Blue Jays have three.

The Brewers had Fredy Peralta and a bunch of bullpen arms....that was NEVER going to beat the Dodgers.

I don't know -- I don't see it. The Dodgers rotation has been ridiculously good:

-- Snell: 21 IP; 2 ER; 28 SO; 5 BB
-- Yamamoto: 19.2 IP; 4 ER; 18 SO; 4 BB
-- Glasnow: 13.1 IP; 1 ER; 18 SO; 8 BB
-- Ohtani: 12 IP; 3 ER; 19 SO; 4 BB
Totals: 66 IP; 1.36 ERA; 11.32 K/9; 2.86 BB/9

But maybe the long lay-off before the World Series will make the Dodgers cold and rusty -- game 1 is on the 24th, which is a full week away. This has affected teams who have swept the LCS in the past -- 2007 Rockies and 2012 Tigers, to name a few.

[JRX]

Cant wait to see everyone's reaction after they sign Tucker.

[JohnnyHatesJazz]

Hockey has a cap, nba has a cap, nfl has a cap…

MLB players have no real defense when it comes to not having a cap.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHatesJazz

Hockey has a cap, nba has a cap, nfl has a cap…

MLB players have no real defense when it comes to not having a cap.

The other sports don't have as much disparity when it comes to TV revenue. The national deals are nothing compared to yes, nesn, Dodgers etc

[JohnnyHatesJazz]

Originally Posted by JRX

The other sports don't have as much disparity when it comes to TV revenue. The national deals are nothing compared to yes, nesn, Dodgers etc

Yup which makes the Yankees wanting a cap so telling and reverberating.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by JRX

Cant wait to see everyone's reaction after they sign Tucker.

He's had problems staying healthy the last couple of seasons -- not the best walk year, hitting .225/.348/.342 with a measly 5 home runs in his last 53 games played (from July on).

[YouTheManNick]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Talk about counting chickens before they hatch.....the Dodgers haven't even won the 2025 World Series yet.....

Although it shouldn't need pointing out, the Mariners and Blue Jays are both much better than the Brewers.....the Mariners have solid starters, and the Blue Jays have three.

The Brewers had Fredy Peralta and a bunch of bullpen arms....that was NEVER going to beat the Dodgers.

Dodgers are a machine. They're built specifically to win the world series. They play the regular season on cruise control. Just trying to stay healthy. Then they turn it on in the playoffs.

All the other teams are built to make the playoffs then hope they get hot enough to carry them to a ring.

The Dodgers don't need luck.

Also. I hate the Dodgers. So, I'm okay with losing the money if it means they lose.

[coltsnsox07]

Dang, the World Series doesn't start until the 24th. That's some long wait...

[Galileo77]

"This team was made for the postseason. They laid low during the regular season, winning just enough games to win the division. They even got swept by the lowly Pirates in a 3-game series early in September. But they knew the only thing that mattered was the playoffs.

Sure, they are quite vulnerable in the bullpen, having the 10th-highest bullpen ERA in MLB during the regular season. But they've got guys like Roki Sasaki throwing 100 mph heaters to shore things up."

Face it -- the Dodgers are taking this year's championship.[/QUOTE]

It will never happen but I like in some aspects the Premier soccer league method where the top team in the league wins the champion ship while they have other competitions going on for other championships however when you play already so many games that is an impossibility along with many other factors though

[JustinVerlander07]

If you believe some of the revenue charts that float around on social media EVERY team in the league is making hundred(s) of millions in profit this year, there is no reason they can't sign their best players other than they'd rather make more money while crying poor. Good for the Dodgers sacrificing some profit to put the best product they can on the field.

It's not like the Red Sox couldn't have afforded to re-sign Mookie, or the Braves re-sign Freeman, or the Angels re-sign Ohtani. They all chose not to.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

If you believe some of the revenue charts that float around on social media EVERY team in the league is making hundred(s) of millions in profit this year, there is no reason they can't sign their best players other than they'd rather make more money while crying poor. Good for the Dodgers sacrificing some profit to put the best product they can on the field.

It's not like the Red Sox couldn't have afforded to re-sign Mookie, or the Braves re-sign Freeman, or the Angels re-sign Ohtani. They all chose not to.

When he takes a deal where he defers 680m its clear that no the angels couldn't resign him. Game 6 of the ALCS isnt even on network TV and we are supposed to believe every team can compete with Dodgers spending?

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by JRX

Cant wait to see everyone's reaction after they sign Tucker.

And get Skenes!!

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by JRX

When he takes a deal where he defers 680m its clear that no the angels couldn't resign him. Game 6 of the ALCS isnt even on network TV and we are supposed to believe every team can compete with Dodgers spending?

The Angels could've offered the same deal, or just not defer the money. It's not that every team can spend as much as the Dodgers, but they can certainly afford to pay their top players.

Again, if you believe some of these revenue lists that float around, there is one saying the Angels 2024 revenue was $410 million and their payroll for 2025 was $215 million. They couldn't afford Ohtani?

[MattRoc]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

The Angels could've offered the same deal, or just not defer the money. It's not that every team can spend as much as the Dodgers, but they can certainly afford to pay their top players.

Again, if you believe some of these revenue lists that float around, there is one saying the Angels 2024 revenue was $410 million and their payroll for 2025 was $215 million. They couldn't afford Ohtani?

This is correct, and the scuttle is that Ohtani asked the Angels if they would do the same deal and they said no. And people are buying into the BS being peddled by the owners if they don't think every team in the game could have done the same deal with Shohei, especially based on the amount of revenue that he has brought to the team.

As a whole, the Dodgers are clearly one of the few teams that can have the number of big contracts that they have, but they have also taken advantage of other organizations making terrible decisions while pushing their chips into the middle for this run. The freaking Red Sox decided to trade an inner-circle HOFer because he didn't want to negotiate their lowball offer. The Braves simply decided to move off of a first ballot HOFer in Freddie Freeman, who makes $22 mil this year. Every team in baseball can afford that contract. Teo signed a one year deal that every team in baseball could have afforded before re-signing this year. Blake Snell was a 2-time CY winner that reached free agency twice in two years. It's just really smart decision making in conjunction with owners that are willing to spend.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

The Angels could've offered the same deal, or just not defer the money. It's not that every team can spend as much as the Dodgers, but they can certainly afford to pay their top players.

Again, if you believe some of these revenue lists that float around, there is one saying the Angels 2024 revenue was $410 million and their payroll for 2025 was $215 million. They couldn't afford Ohtani?

You do understand that revenue doesn't equal profit? Are we now saying players should get 100% of revenue? The Dodgers total cost this year is estimated to be 485, thats over 150m more than your rev estimate.

[Galileo77]

[QUOTE=JustinVerlander07;20056128]The Angels could've offered the same deal, or just not defer the money. It's not that every team can spend as much as the Dodgers, but they can certainly afford to pay their top players.

Again, if you believe some of these revenue lists that float around, there is one saying the Angels 2024 revenue was $410 million and their payroll for 2025 was $215 million. They couldn't afford Ohtani?[/QUOTE

I cant believe its a coincidence that the New York Yankees or the LA Dodgers have the same budget to spend as the Brewers or the Rays or many of the smaller city teams. Or that the Yankees and Dodgers are competitive year after year for the playoffs compared to smaller city teams. The best the latter can hope for is for is a great farm team, attributed to wise scouts in South America and other countries , smart dealing during the trading interval and signing long term 1 or at most 2 stars. In addition the players know in NYC and LA they will be exposed to additional money being asked to represent brands, TV exposure etc.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by JRX

You do understand that revenue doesn't equal profit? Are we now saying players should get 100% of revenue? The Dodgers total cost this year is estimated to be 485, thats over 150m more than your rev estimate.

I understand that. Do you think the Angels didn't turn a profit last year or this year? Do you think there is over $200 million more in expenses for them?

All a salary cap does in Baseball is give some team owners WAY more profit because for instance, the Dodgers are going to make the same revenue no matter what while forcing them into atleast $150 million less in payroll. That's money that should go to the players.

[mfw13]

The real issue is the need for a salary floor, not a cap.

According to the list I've seen floating around, only nine teams even spent 50% of their revenue on payroll (NYM, LAD, TOR, PHI, ARZ, SD, TEX, LAA, KC), and there were six teams below 40% (MIA, CHW, TB, PIT, CHC, CLV).

Make 50% the salary floor, and things would get a lot more interesting.....

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by mfw13

The real issue is the need for a salary floor, not a cap.

According to the list I've seen floating around, only nine teams even spent 50% of their revenue on payroll (NYM, LAD, TOR, PHI, ARZ, SD, TEX, LAA, KC), and there were six teams below 40% (MIA, CHW, TB, PIT, CHC, CLV).

Make 50% the salary floor, and things would get a lot more interesting.....

If we're looking at the same list, the Marlins 2025 payroll was $86 million and 2024 revenue was $317 million, and they cry poor every year. Anyone really want to say the Marlins aren't making a ton of money? Unless someone wants to say their other expenses total anywhere close to $240ish million

[JRX]

Originally Posted by mfw13

The real issue is the need for a salary floor, not a cap.

According to the list I've seen floating around, only nine teams even spent 50% of their revenue on payroll (NYM, LAD, TOR, PHI, ARZ, SD, TEX, LAA, KC), and there were six teams below 40% (MIA, CHW, TB, PIT, CHC, CLV).

Make 50% the salary floor, and things would get a lot more interesting.....

MLB has 3 signifanct issues.

1 Teams refusing to spend, a floor would help with that
2. Massive disparity in tv revenue between teams which in part contributes to 1. Why even bother spending if the Dodgers can spend more than your entire revenue.
3. They need to have an international draft. It would spread out the talent.

They'll likely fix none of this and we will get a lockout.

[coltsnsox07]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

And get Skenes!!

Livvy Dunne needs to be in L.A...