On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers not only won a second straight World Series title, but they likely guaranteed dark days are ahead for MLB when the current collective bargaining agreement ends after next season.
Last night, the inevitability that many foresaw in the winter became a reality, and the Dodgers are again the champions of baseball. The most expensive team in baseball history lived up to its potential and sits atop the baseball world for a second straight season. However, that return to the top did come with moments of doubt.
Many thought the Dodgers were a lock to win over 100 games and have the best record in MLB in 2025. But, LA won just 93 games — five less than last year — which was third best in the National League, and fifth best overall this year. The Toronto Blue Jays also had them on the ropes in the World Series and down to their last out in Game 7 before another miracle moment took them from the brink of defeat.
However, it can’t be overlooked that the Dodgers stormed through the MLB playoffs and lost one game en route to the World Series. Furthermore, they won 93 games in spite of many injuries and underwhelming seasons from several key players. They were able to do that because of their $415 million roster (including payroll taxes). That’s why they did it in 2025, and there is a good chance they will do it again in 2026.
That is a big problem for baseball, and that is why there are some very dark days ahead for MLB that must happen and can’t be avoided.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ success proves greatest fears of MLB experts
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are by no means the first team to spend huge sums to try and win championships. And for a while, it seemed like it was more of a strategy to earn consistent trips to the playoffs but not compete for titles in October.
However, LA has refined the idea and matched large sums of money with a better roster-building strategy. Instead of just signing power hitters and big-name starters, the Dodgers put together a more well-rounded roster with star players and a very deep pitching staff. But they also destroyed the integrity of what roster building has always been with one specific tactic.
Are deferrals in contracts legal? Absolutely, and they have been used in the past by quite a few teams. However, Los Angeles can give out huge sums and worry about it later because they benefit from being in the second most populous city in the US, and in a state that has one of the biggest economies on Earth. They deserve credit for maximizing those resources, but it is something 95% of the league can’t do even if they wanted to.
The team has given out a billion dollars in contracts to seven players that will be paid out in the next 20 years. A risky move, but a second straight championship proves that if used correctly, you can buy your way to a championship. And with the team making $1 billion in revenue this year, they will easily pay off all their deferral debts. So there is no reason for them to stop using the practice and just dominate MLB for the next decade.
That is why there is little doubt a lockout is coming after next season, and possibly worse.
MLB owners must take a strong stance if they want competitive balance
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The current MLB CBA expires on December 1 of next year. Well before the Dodgers bought their way to another championship, there were rumblings that a lockout in 2026 was a strong possibility. The club’s use of deferrals on multiple deals over the last two seasons has bothered many owners around the game.
Mid and small market clubs are used to their big brothers in wealthy cities spending big to win it all. But the last couple of decades have proven that strategy is imperfect, especially when balancing the books each year. However, LA’s use of deferrals to put together a super roster, and then winning not one, but two championships, shows they have a winning strategy that, really, only they can do as long as they want.
It’s one thing to have a dynasty team. It is another to have a goliath with endless wealth and no guardrails. That level of success without hope will hurt the league and ticket sales. That lack of hope that existed for the last decades is why owners will not play around this time, and are going to fight hard to reel in the Dodgers and other teams’ spending. As well as kill the deferral practice.
There was a belief that the Dodgers and the two clubs in New York sharing the revenue they make off their TV deals could satisfy the rest of the team bosses around the game. However, extra money is unlikely to pacify mid-market teams like the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, and Detroit Tigers, who are trying hard to win titles for their fans but are losing hope fast.
There is no doubt there will be a lockout at the end of next year as they hammer out a new deal. But with the issue being so serious and the future of the game heading to a bad place, there is a real possibility the 2027 season could be canceled. Many MLB owners have wanted a salary cap for a long time, and the Dodgers’ buying their way to two titles proves more than ever that they must take a very strong stance that could cost fans another season.
After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka … More about Jason Burgos