As spring starts and the weather warms, Major League Baseball (MLB) returns. The Texas Rangers are coming off of an impressive World Series victory after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in last year’s championship.

The 2022-23 season truly marked a comeback for many previous underdog teams. The Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies were some of the surprising playoff teams that went far, while in 2019, nearly all of these teams were many games behind to make the playoffs and had a below .500 win/loss average.

It’s difficult to speculate how the surprising teams of last year will perform this season. However, one team has stood above all others during this offseason. The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent – by far – more money this offseason than any other team. 

Tualatin High School senior and avid baseball fan Carson Page acknowledged the big-spending Dodgers. 

“The Dodgers are huge favorites to win the World Series with some crazy signings, such as, in my opinion, the best baseball player right now, Shohei Ohtani. This being with a $700 million 10-year deal,” Page stated.

 The Dodgers signed Japanese pitcher Ohtani from the Los Angeles Angels. They then signed another Japanese pitcher and baseball star Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers continue to build their pitching army, as they also re-signed World Series-winning pitcher Clayton Kershaw. 

“Much of that [$700 million] is deferred in order for the Dodgers to continue their $1 billion offseason,” Page added.

This aggravates many sports fans; unlike the NBA, NFL and NHL, the MLB has no salary cap, meaning teams have no limit on what they can spend, as long as it meets their budget. A salary cap is the way other major sports leagues prevent “All-Star” teams from forming within the leagues themselves. 

The only current way the MLB combats super teams from forming is a type of luxury tax. The MLB calls it the “Competitive Balance Tax.” This means teams are taxed on every dollar they spend above a threshold.

Some may think the Dodgers have benefitted too much from the lackluster rules toward spending within the MLB. However, the MLB is still a professional league, and other teams are expected to play at the same level if not better than the current, superteam-looking Dodgers.

Only time will tell. Will the upcoming season be an expensive flop or the start of a new dynasty in baseball?