NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Why is everyone outside of Los Angeles knocking the Los Angeles Dodgers for what they have done for the past few offseasons? The goal is to win a World Series every year, and all the Dodgers have done is put their names in the hat and let the chips fall where they may. Can’t blame them for that, right?
This offseason, they managed to snag OF Kyle Tucker and CL Edwin Diaz, and analysts and fans of other teams hit social media with “I hate the Dodgers, and they are cheating or buying championships” posts. Well, isn’t that their job? What people are mad about is that not only is their team not doing this, but the hard truth is that no one wants to come to your team.
These are free agents the Los Angeles Dodgers are signing, meaning players are making a choice. Yes, they are more than likely choosing the champs due to the Dodgers paying top dollar, but also because they see a better chance to win.
You can look at a case like the Miami Marlins and say why are players not willing to go the route of building a franchise up? The reason is that this is baseball, where anything can happen. The Dodgers are built to compete now. Most of these guys want to win, and if they have to join a so-called super team, then so be it. Don’t hate the organization, hate that your team is not doing what they have to do to beat the Dodgers to the punch.
Most players play for rings, and some play for money. Ask yourself, which player do you want? The Dodgers are giving free agents both. They are paying what they believe a player is worth and also putting them in a position to walk away champs. What more could you ask for?
Then you have to take into account the non-pressure of it all. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr all had their franchises on their backs and fell short. With the Dodgers, if you fall, there is someone in front of or behind you who can take up the slack. That’s a team. Doesn’t matter how much it costs the owner. The organization wants championships and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there.
The Dodgers have won the last two World Series. That’s what they paid for. Even with that said, I still don’t believe they had the best collection of talent. The Bluejays had them on the ropes but fell short. Some of their big names have faltered in the postseason, and it’s been the little-known names who have stepped up time and time again.
Yes, the team is built around Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and now Tucker, but where were the pundits when the Dodgers were suffering with their pitching staff or Betts and Will Smith were struggling?
Adding Tucker does not guarantee a third title, but it doesn’t hurt having him either. The Toronto Blue Jays are still a force. The New York Yankees have a shot, as do the Philadelphia Phillies, the Detroit Tigers, and others, but it’s getting it done in the clutch when it matters most.
Ask Ohtani how it felt to lose games with the Los Angeles Angels when he was paired with Mike Trout. There are no guarantees in MLB, but if you’re a betting person, why not throw everything on the Dodgers? Look at their organization, that’s exactly what their owners are doing.
Yes, they have an insane roster bill that will be due, but if they keep winning, they will keep spending. Before the Dodgers went on their winning and spending spree, it was the Yankees with George Steinbrenner doing the same thing. People wanted a salary cap for MLB, but to no avail. Here we are, supposedly, with owners being furious with the Dodgers’ spending. But at what point will people begin to look at the other teams in the league and ask them, why are you not doing the same?
If 25 teams are offering a player the same amount of money, he will then choose which team he thinks gives him the best shot at a title. Right now, that’s the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hate all you want, but the best way to hate on them is to beat them, and for the last 2 seasons, they have not worried about your tears.
