Stephen A Smith becomes unlikely Dodgers ally with spot-on response to payroll debate

Stephen A. Smith isn't known for his baseball opinions. The longtime host of ESPN's "First Take" rules the sports airwaves with his basketball and football knowledge, passionate love for the Knicks, and even more passionate disdain for the Cowboys.

But on Feb. 19, Smith offered an argument in favor of the Los Angeles Dodgers after Chris "Mad Dog" Russo criticized their recent spending. The latter argued that LA's astronomical $393 million payroll for 2025 limits competition and harms the game of baseball. Smith defended the Dodgers and called out other teams' lack of spending.

"...Mookie Betts; the Boston Red Sox could've paid him. They chose not to. Look at Freddie Freeman; the Atlanta Braves could've paid him. They chose not to. You look at Shohei Ohtani, the Angels didn't even try to match that," Smith said.

"The fact is that the Dodgers have the money but they're not the only team to have money. You (Russo) said it: the Mets' payroll is $320 million, the Yankees have money, the Boston Red Sox have money, other teams have money as well. They're just choosing not to spend and go for it, that's on them."

Steven A. Smith defends Dodgers' spending, says teams choose to keep low payrolls

It's fair to say that the Dodgers may have a leg up on other clubs when it comes to landing free agents after Ohtani signed with them for 10 years before the 2024 season. Players across the sport would love to be alongside one of the greatest talents of all time. But money still talks, and even though a superteam may have extra pull in the free agent market, the Dodgers continue to blow other teams out of the water in terms of contract offers.

No one forced the Red Sox to trade Betts, nor the Pirates to only give out one-year deals to free agents for the past nine years. Money may as well grow on trees for MLB team owners in larger markets like Chicago, Boston, New York and plenty of other places, and their alleged smaller budgets compared to the Dodgers are, for the most part, self-imposed.

LA has been able to spend so much recently because of deferrals, which are at every team's disposal. A player has to want to play on a team badly enough to accept a deferred contract, which goes back to spending in the first place — teams that don't spend can't have any delusions about the draw to play for their club. There's demand regarding a structured roster built to content for championships consistently. A team staffed by players on short-term deals and pre-arbitration control is not a draw to most top-tier players.

Smith, a Yankees fan, agreed with the Dodgers' philosophy and held his team accountable in the process. The Dodgers aren't "ruining baseball," as so many fans claim. Billionaire owners who refuse to spend and used their team as a vessel solely for profit while assuring fans they're "trying their best" are ruining baseball.