Alex Rodriguez defends Dodgers' spending spree as likely lockout gets closer: 'I think it's great'

With a lockout much apt than not astatine this constituent successful Major League Baseball, the ongoing statement continues implicit whether the Los Angeles Dodgers are really ruining the sport.

Many judge the Dodgers person simply breached baseball, peculiarly with Shohei Ohtani's $700 cardinal contract, 97% of which is deferred. They person won back-to-back World Series titles and are the favourite for a 3rd consecutive title.

Not lone did Los Angeles travel up its titles by signing the astir touted reliever connected the marketplace successful Edwin Diaz, but it besides gave Kyle Tucker a woody that gave him the highest yearly mean worth of $60 million, the astir for immoderate presumption subordinate ever.

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Alex Rodriguez reacts during the Seattle Mariners 50th Season Celebration astatine T-Mobile Park connected Aug. 8, 2026, successful Seattle, Washington. (Jack Compton/Getty Images)

However, erstwhile slugger Alex Rodriguez isn't buying the negativity surrounding the organization.

"I deliberation it’s great. You and I some would beryllium hypocrites if we said it’s not bully erstwhile we saw what happened successful the ‘90s present successful New York, what happened successful ‘09 erstwhile Hal Steinbrenner flexed his fiscal resources to spell retired and get [CC] Sabathia, [Mark] Teixeira and A.J. Burnett, and the twelvemonth earlier we had Johnny Damon," A-Rod told New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay connected the latter's vigor show.

Rodriguez does marque an absorbing constituent — successful 2005, the Yankees' payroll ($208.3 million, per Baseball Reference) was astir treble the second-highest payroll (the Boston Red Sox's $123.5 million). The New York Mets ($101.3 million) were the lone different squad to person a nine-digit payroll.

While the Dodgers person finessed their contracts done deferrals and bonuses to marque their existent payroll little than the existent worth of the contracts, galore different teams are really inactive successful the comparative ballpark. The Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays each person a taxation payroll of astatine slightest $300 million.

Rodriguez noted that it's not needfully the magnitude of wealth but however it's spent.

Former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez attends the team's Old Timer's Day anterior to a crippled against the Colorado Rockies astatine Yankee Stadium connected Aug. 24, 2024, successful New York City. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

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"The cardinal is not making the mistakes..." Rodriguez said, name-dropping Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon, who are combining to marque $38 cardinal this play portion hitting a combined .215 with an OPS beneath .700.

"You person to beryllium capable to find what is your inventory and what is it worth. Gene Michael utilized to beryllium capable to clasp connected to Bernie [Williams], [Derek] Jeter, [Jorge] Posada. That's the cardinal - you got to clasp connected to your aboriginal guys, and past determination connected for the others, usage them arsenic assets to complement your existent roster."

Again to Rodriguez's point, the Milwaukee Brewers, whose $153 cardinal taxation payroll is 19th successful the league, ain the champion grounds successful Major League Baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays fertile 27th successful taxation payroll yet person the league's second-best record, portion the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox fertile 26th.

Furthermore, 3 of the apical 5 payrolls successful the athletics — the Mets, Phillies and Blue Jays — are presently retired of the postseason.

Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees celebrates aft the Yankees' 7-3 triumph against the Philadelphia Phillies successful Game 6 of the 2009 MLB World Series astatine Yankee Stadium successful the Bronx, New York City, connected Nov. 4, 2009. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

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The existent corporate bargaining statement expires Dec. 1, and players person insisted they would not play nether a wage cap, which has been formally offered for the archetypal clip since 1994.

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