April 20, 2026 by Teddy Lodico (‘29)
Now, you don’t have to be a genius to know who the Los Angeles Dodgers are.
In fact, even if you don’t watch baseball, you probably know about Shohei Ohtani and his generational run (and generational 700 million dollar contract) in the game. And chances are, you also know that these Dodgers are shelling out additional hundreds of millions of dollars for anyone they can acquire. Take a look at Kyle Tucker’s (former Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs right fielder) contract. His newly signed contract is worth approximately $ 240 million over four years, or an annual salary of $ 60 million.
I’ve been watching baseball practically my whole life, which, for the record, is only about 15 and a half years now. The largest contract 16 years ago, in 2010, was starting pitcher Justin Verlander, who signed for 218-ish million dollars. How long was that contract? Ten years. Kyle Tucker is making over 20 million dollars more than Verlander in less than half the time. Will Tucker make it into the Hall of Fame and go down as one of the best to play his position? By the looks of it right now, no. But Justin Verlander will.
Even though we looked at some numbers and dollar amounts, that doesn’t really answer the question in the grand scheme of things. So, as a staunch Dodgers hater, I’ll say no, I don’t believe that they’re killing baseball. On the contrary, I think they’re doing more good for the sport than people give them credit for.
Signing all these great players and turning their baseball team into the Avengers is drawing a lot of eyes. Viewership is skyrocketing, with all major television networks that broadcast games seeing double-digit percentage increases in viewership. The World Series, in which the Dodgers have participated in the last two, was among the most-watched in the last decade.
Yes, the Dodgers seem to have forgotten the value of a dollar. Yes, they’re spending top dollar for players who wouldn’t be worth a fraction as much a decade and a half ago. And yes, no other team seems to stand a chance against them. But it’s important to remind ourselves, dynasties don’t last forever. They never have, not in history, and not in sports. Think of the late ’90s to the early 2000’s Yankees. They seemed the same way as the Dodgers do now, how they looked like an unbeatable super-team. But eventually, they fell apart.
So, give it time, and the Dodgers will do the same. But for now, try to enjoy the state we’re in, because baseball is entering a new and exciting era.