Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter may have turned heads last week when he indicated that he would be in favor of Major League Baseball installing a salary cap. The Dodgers’ spending in recent years is what created that conversation, and it’s going to reach a fever pitch by the time the current CBA expires this December. In the meantime, we’ve seen multiple instances this week of contending teams trying to stay in the same atmosphere as Los Angeles.
Of course, the degree to which the Dodgers have spent isn’t feasible for all teams. The Dodgers can flex their financial might over any other team in baseball, but for teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, the key is locking down their ascending prospects to long-term deals early in their careers.
Earlier this week, the Brewers inked infield prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year deal worth $50 million. Pratt remains a highly-touted shortstop, landing at No. 62 in MLB Pipeline’s top 100. He’s graded as the fourth-best prospect in the Brewers’ system. What makes the deal curious is the fact that the three prospects ahead of Pratt are all infielders, and the 21-year-old showed some offensive regression in Double-A last year. Not enough to take the shine away from his prospect profile, but enough to wonder why Milwaukee was so eager to make this deal.
The Mariners followed the Brewers’ blueprint, locking down their top prospect, Colt Emerson, on a new contract before he makes his debut. Emerson is the top prospect in the Mariners’ system, and No. 7 in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. Given the higher ceiling, Emerson’s deal with the Mariners is worth $95 million. Interestingly enough, it tops the previous record for most money paid to a player who has yet to debut. That player was Jackson Chourio with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers don’t need to back on early extensions for their homegrown players.
This certainly is an element of being a healthy organization. Locking down core pieces on team-friendly extensions is one of the best ways for a team to keep their books clean. No, the money spent isn’t quite the same as what the Dodgers are spending on Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others, but it’s how teams like the Mariners and Brewers counter against those deals.
As for the Dodgers, as long as their current models remain the same, there shouldn’t be a real need for them to rely on these types of moves. It’s why the team isn’t in a hurry to sign Andy Pages to a contract extension.
The Dodgers can afford to wait out the service time of their homegrown players because their operation has proved there’s a strong chance of said player sticking around anyway.