Insider tells everybody what Dodgers fans already know about LA 'ruining baseball'

Are the Los Angeles Dodgers ruining baseball? It's a question that's as emotional as it is analytical, and it's one that's being asked even more than usual as the defending World Series champions seek to become the first team to win back-to-back titles in a quarter of a century.

Jayson Stark of The Athletic (subscription required) recently pushed back against the idea that the Dodgers' potential repeat (note: shortly after he wrote his column, the Dodgers finished the repeat) would contribute to their destruction of baseball, noting that no team had won two straight World Series in 25 years. That’s the longest gap between repeat winners in history – among any of the four major North American men’s professional sports.

"The Dodgers are only the second champ since 2001 to get back to a second straight World Series," Stark wrote. "And the other — Matt Stairs’ 2009 Phillies — did that 16 years ago. You know why that is? Because the dollar bills and the direct deposit transfers don’t play the games. Real humans play the games. And they’re always reminded: Winning is hard."

The idea that the Dodgers are “ruining baseball” has become a popular talking point, but it collapses under scrutiny. In reality, the Dodgers are elevating baseball by proving what happens when a franchise reinvests, innovates and holds itself accountable for winning.

Critics love to point to the Dodgers’ enormous payroll as “proof” that baseball is broken. But Major League Baseball has no salary cap (by choice). The sport was built on the idea that big markets could reinvest in their product, creating dynamic competitive ecosystems. The Dodgers aren’t cheating or breaking the system; they’re using the system as designed.

If anything, the Dodgers are a model of responsible financial stewardship. They reinvest their own revenue – not subsidies – into improving the product. They pour profits into payroll, scouting, analytics and player development. They keep Dodger Stadium packed and their brand strong, ensuring stability for decades.

Contrast that with small-market owners who pocket revenue-sharing checks and refuse to reinvest in the on-field product (looking at you, Pirates and A’s). If anything’s “ruining baseball,” it’s the clubs that choose apathy and austerity over ambition.

Plus, let’s be honest – baseball needs superteams. The Dodgers give the sport something essential: a dynasty to chase, a standard to test against. Every sport thrives when there’s a juggernaut to beat. The Dodgers are that team for this generation, and fans love to hate them — but that hate fuels engagement, ratings, and rivalries. That’s not the death of baseball. That’s its heartbeat.

The Dodgers' dominance raises the bar for everyone else. Teams like the Phillies, Diamondbacks and Padres have all upgraded their own systems and spending because of what the Dodgers built. Los Angeles' consistency (13 straight postseason appearances) has pushed MLB toward better development pipelines and roster construction.

When one team sets the gold standard, others are forced to evolve, and that makes the league more competitive, not less. Parity doesn’t mean everyone wins equally; it means everyone must rise to the challenge.

The Dodgers aren't ruining baseball; they're upholding its highest ideals

The narrative that Los Angeles “buys” championships is lazy. Look at the backbone of their roster – it’s built through player development, scouting and smart trades — not just free-agent splurges (and the signings they did make were surgical fits for their team identity). They’ve cracked the code on modern baseball efficiency, investing heavily in data, biomechanics and sports science. They’re not “buying" wins; they're optimizing them.

The Dodgers aren't the 2000s Yankees, who threw money at every problem. They spend on quality major league talent but consistently keep a top-10 farm system, even while winning 90-plus games. That’s balance. That’s sustainability. Los Angeles has mastered the modern front-office model: big spending, but smart spending. You can’t ruin baseball by being good at every aspect of it.

Baseball’s real crisis isn’t that some teams spend too much; it’s that too many teams don’t care about winning enough to make fans care. Contrast that with franchises that intentionally strip payroll, tank for half a decade and alienate their fanbases — those are the true threats to baseball’s health. The Dodgers are proof that when you invest in stars and success, the sport thrives.

Baseball’s system rewards ownership ambition. If smaller-market teams want to compete, they can through smart drafting, development, and timing. What critics often forget is that the Dodgers pay massive luxury tax penalties that are distributed across MLB. Those funds theoretically help smaller clubs improve, and it's not Los Angeles' fault if those owners pocket the cash instead.

So, when critics say, “The Dodgers ruin parity,” the truth is that they're actually funding parity – other owners just refuse to use it.

So, no, the Dodgers aren't ruining baseball. They're upholding its highest ideals: spend what you earn, develop what you can't buy, win with consistency, and make fans proud enough to care. If other franchises matched that commitment – instead of complaining about it – the sport would be stronger.

The Dodgers didn’t break baseball. They’re just exposing which owners actually want to win it.