“The Dodgers are not ruining baseball” – Andrew Friedman

In 2026, the Los Angeles Dodgers' payroll will exceed $317 million, and the team will pay six of its players more than $22 million, including a monster contribution to Kyle Tucker, the most coveted free agent of the latest draft class, who, unsurprisingly, chose the warm California sun as his new home.Once again facing harsh criticism for his team's shameless spending, Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations for the two-time World Series champions in 2024 and 2025, is up in arms defending the Dodgers' business model.

Thirteen years ago, the team was on the verge of bankruptcy, but thanks to new investors, it was able to turn things around and win back the hearts of fans who had begun to doubt and turn their attention to other sources of entertainment.

Today, Friedman gives a lot of credit to those same fans who show up game after game to enjoy the show, and let's face it, that show couldn't be any better.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/2025000012078297576

Friedman's recipe is simple: the more fans you have cheering on your team, the better product you can put on the field, and the better your team is, the more people you win over to your cause. With deep-pocketed owners and a reputation that extends far beyond the borders of Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers organization, led by Andrew Friedman, is currently disrupting the budgetary order in Major League Baseball by providing ammunition to several observers who are loudly proclaiming thatDodgers organization, led by Andrew Friedman, is currently upsetting the budgetary order within Major League Baseball, providing ammunition to several observers who loudly proclaim that the Dodgers are buying championships and putting the sport at risk.

For Friedman, the people who are ganging up on his team don't have strong arguments and are taking shortcuts by criticizing the Dodgers' approach. With the threat of a labor dispute looming in 2027, the Dodgers will want to clinch a third consecutive championship to maximize their investments in recent years. If the goal of the team was to dominate by bringing together an unprecedented array of talent, the management can say mission accomplished, and in fine style at that. It remains to be seen whether the Players Association and the owners of the 30 Major League Baseball teams will find solutions to allow fans to continue to enjoy the game while avoiding the predictability that has set in over the past few years, as the Dodgers have set the bar too high for the competition, forcing teams like the Yankees toenjoy the show while avoiding the predictability that has set in over the past few years, with the Dodgers setting the bar too high for the competition, forcing teams like the Blue Jays to spend more and others like the Yankees to rethink their payroll control.

The Bronx crew is passively observing everything that is happening in Los Angeles, hoping that the storm will calm down one day.

At this rate, and if nothing changes, Andrew Friedman and his entourage will have to continue to weather criticism that sometimes takes the form of barrage.

With the start of the preseason games, we can say that the show must go on to see how far the Dodgers will go in 2026. One thing is certain: this iconic team is making headlines for both good and bad reasons and is the subject of many discussions in living rooms throughout the year.

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