[Lee] Because the Dodgers went bankrupt, MLB agreed to tax their TV money as if they were still a broke. That lets the Dodgers keep about $66 million more every year than they otherwise would. This exception runs through 2039, according to a league source.
No no no, I have it on good authority from Dodger fan redditors that that’s a lie.
The main takeaway should be that MLB is run by morons.
Dodgers defer everything.
So the correct thing for every team to do is be irresponsible with their money and bankrupt themselves?
Fine, we’ll get skubal too – Dodgers and Dodger fans.
Thanks, Frank McCourt
Don’t give Crane Kenney ideas. (oh wait, the Cubs were already far too late on their TV network to make any money)
But the athletic keeps publishing articles stating any team could do what they do. Blaming cheap owners instead of taking any accountability for their massive advantages. This has to be fake news.
At what point do we have to see a change of leadership in MLB. They have fucked up so much stuff in the last 10 years.
MLB, what the fuck are we doing here? Seriously
I think they aren’t “broke” anymore.
Remember when Selig and the owners basically forced McCourt out of the league but let the Wilpons, who lost millions to Bernie Madoff and were famously overleveraged, keep the Mets despite much more dire financial circumstances because they were Selig’s pals?
“In speaking with those that have access to the actual agreement that Bloomberg speaks of, I’ve retrieved this line from the document: “All up-front cash payments and all annual rights fees shall be subject to revenue-sharing under normal principles.”
In other words, every penny of the deal’s upfront money and rights fees would be part of net local revenues that each and every one of MLB’s 30 clubs has to pay revenue-sharing on. You can also think of it this way: would the league’s other 29 owners, in a million years, ever sign-off on such a deal if the Dodgers (already in baseball’s number-two market) got a further leg up?”
2039?????
Just a whole Juan Soto and change every year for free. Seems like something “everybody can do”
Those poor Dodgers, when will MLB step in and lend a hand?
This has a better explanation and different figures along with information on other teams using loopholes.
Not defending the Dodgers because they are using all the cheat codes.
White Sox, please file for bankruptcy
Its weird to place such a long date on an exemption like this. Why not have an annual review, or create benchmarks that flag it for review or expiration?
Pretty sure I remember this being debunked years ago
Alright well…. That’s somehow not as bad as I thought and also simultaneously way too long.
$66 mil is one Kyle Tucker per year which isn’t much. But for 13 more years that’s excessive
Didn’t we have a post yesterday that this was a rumor and not true? Because we had a post over the weekend that said this same thing from a shady blog
Baseball can be its own worst enemy.
Correction: MLB
Coincidence this drops the week the owners leak that they want a salary cap. so weird.
This was actually an incredible video. The cable deal will get the headline here, but there’s much more interesting stuff.
1) Friedman, after years of avoiding big FA signings and opting to build the team, got ahold of Mookie and realized that signing expensive stars actually has compounding advantages that go beyond what they’re owed. One of Lee’s guests ( a former Red Sox front office person involved in trading Mookie) criticizes other big market teams for not recognizing compounding value.
2) Signing Ohtani unlocked a money machine – something the Dodgers understood from the start and therefore leapt at. More importantly, Ohtani understood this when he structured his contract the way he did. It’s still so confusing for me why the Angels did not take Ohtani’s deal when he brought it to them, like he brought it to the Jays and other clubs. Of course, in the end it just seems like Ohtani trusted the Dodgers FO more.
3) Many teams don’t spend money because they make more profit by not spending. That doesn’t mean that spending is a solution – the Pirates can’t spend like the Dodgers – but putting together a good FO and spending wisely can have compounding advantages. Instead, they prioritize saving money because they view themselves as family run outfits, or because they’re preparing for a future where MLB goes global.
4) it actually takes A LOT lining up right for the Dodgers’ kind of success to happen. That’s not going to happen for every rich team, in part because many are poorly run. And this kind of success isn’t built to last. The roster will age, Shohei will slow down, other competitors will rise and this window will close. That’s why I, as a dodgers fan, choose to enjoy this golden age. It’ll all be over in 3 years.
![[Lee] Because the Dodgers went bankrupt, MLB agreed to tax their TV money as if they were still a broke. That lets the Dodgers keep about $66 million more every year than they otherwise would. This exception runs through 2039, according to a league source.](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/OhC2-wGOztIVrnk09ZzGiy-p-TR6dSPju5wEn3Ax3LM.jpeg)
29 comments
i’ve seen enough
i. declare. *BANKRUPTCY*!!
2039?!?!?!
No no no, I have it on good authority from Dodger fan redditors that that’s a lie.
The main takeaway should be that MLB is run by morons.
Dodgers defer everything.
So the correct thing for every team to do is be irresponsible with their money and bankrupt themselves?
Fine, we’ll get skubal too – Dodgers and Dodger fans.
Thanks, Frank McCourt
Don’t give Crane Kenney ideas. (oh wait, the Cubs were already far too late on their TV network to make any money)
But the athletic keeps publishing articles stating any team could do what they do. Blaming cheap owners instead of taking any accountability for their massive advantages. This has to be fake news.
At what point do we have to see a change of leadership in MLB. They have fucked up so much stuff in the last 10 years.
MLB, what the fuck are we doing here? Seriously
I think they aren’t “broke” anymore.
Remember when Selig and the owners basically forced McCourt out of the league but let the Wilpons, who lost millions to Bernie Madoff and were famously overleveraged, keep the Mets despite much more dire financial circumstances because they were Selig’s pals?
[https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/18502/bizball-do-the-dodgers-really-have-a-secret-deal-to-avoid-revenue-sharing/](https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/18502/bizball-do-the-dodgers-really-have-a-secret-deal-to-avoid-revenue-sharing/)
“In speaking with those that have access to the actual agreement that Bloomberg speaks of, I’ve retrieved this line from the document: “All up-front cash payments and all annual rights fees shall be subject to revenue-sharing under normal principles.”
In other words, every penny of the deal’s upfront money and rights fees would be part of net local revenues that each and every one of MLB’s 30 clubs has to pay revenue-sharing on. You can also think of it this way: would the league’s other 29 owners, in a million years, ever sign-off on such a deal if the Dodgers (already in baseball’s number-two market) got a further leg up?”
2039?????
Just a whole Juan Soto and change every year for free. Seems like something “everybody can do”
Those poor Dodgers, when will MLB step in and lend a hand?
https://brewerfanatic.com/news-rumors/milwaukee-brewers/mlbs-revenue-sharing-model-has-two-big-problems-how-can-they-be-fixed-r3929/
This has a better explanation and different figures along with information on other teams using loopholes.
Not defending the Dodgers because they are using all the cheat codes.
White Sox, please file for bankruptcy
Its weird to place such a long date on an exemption like this. Why not have an annual review, or create benchmarks that flag it for review or expiration?
Pretty sure I remember this being debunked years ago
Edit: [here’s an article about it](https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/18502/bizball-do-the-dodgers-really-have-a-secret-deal-to-avoid-revenue-sharing/), take from it what you will but this doesn’t seem to be what everyone is claiming it is.
Alright well…. That’s somehow not as bad as I thought and also simultaneously way too long.
$66 mil is one Kyle Tucker per year which isn’t much. But for 13 more years that’s excessive
Didn’t we have a post yesterday that this was a rumor and not true? Because we had a post over the weekend that said this same thing from a shady blog
Baseball can be its own worst enemy.
Correction: MLB
Coincidence this drops the week the owners leak that they want a salary cap. so weird.
This was actually an incredible video. The cable deal will get the headline here, but there’s much more interesting stuff.
1) Friedman, after years of avoiding big FA signings and opting to build the team, got ahold of Mookie and realized that signing expensive stars actually has compounding advantages that go beyond what they’re owed. One of Lee’s guests ( a former Red Sox front office person involved in trading Mookie) criticizes other big market teams for not recognizing compounding value.
2) Signing Ohtani unlocked a money machine – something the Dodgers understood from the start and therefore leapt at. More importantly, Ohtani understood this when he structured his contract the way he did. It’s still so confusing for me why the Angels did not take Ohtani’s deal when he brought it to them, like he brought it to the Jays and other clubs. Of course, in the end it just seems like Ohtani trusted the Dodgers FO more.
3) Many teams don’t spend money because they make more profit by not spending. That doesn’t mean that spending is a solution – the Pirates can’t spend like the Dodgers – but putting together a good FO and spending wisely can have compounding advantages. Instead, they prioritize saving money because they view themselves as family run outfits, or because they’re preparing for a future where MLB goes global.
4) it actually takes A LOT lining up right for the Dodgers’ kind of success to happen. That’s not going to happen for every rich team, in part because many are poorly run. And this kind of success isn’t built to last. The roster will age, Shohei will slow down, other competitors will rise and this window will close. That’s why I, as a dodgers fan, choose to enjoy this golden age. It’ll all be over in 3 years.