Breaking Baseball

Members of Dodger Nation sneer at the rest of the baseball world when they repeat the line "The Dodgers are breaking baseball."

And yet, while many teams sat idly by at the trade deadline, the Dodgers scooped up ace starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. Once he donned the Dodger Blue, Skubal also scoffed at the notion the ballclub is doing anything wrong. 

What else is he going to say, right?

I hinted that this was going to be my blog for yesterday before I watched in disbelief at the modest moves my own favorite team made. But it didn't take me long to return to the heartburn that comes whenever I hear another free agent star has signed with L.A.

Truly, there have been super teams in all sports throughout history. It used to be said, for instance, that the old Kansas City Athletics club was the feeder team for the New York Yankees of the late '50s and early 60's 

The NBA has long favored the Lakers and Celtics. But, in recent years, other glamor markets have amassed their own super teams.  In 2010, LeBron left his hometown Cleveland team and famously took his talents to South Beach to team up with D-Wade and Chris Bosh. 

Still, there is something a little different about this situation. What is it?

I think, in some measure, it is this. No matter who wins the game, fans want to believe there is a fair contest going on; that the game isn't somehow tilted in one team's favor.

For my entire life, the Dodgers have always been one of the prominent national teams. No problem there. But what is different about this particular incarnation.

I dug into the deets a bit over the last couple of days. Why is it they have such an advantage over the other 29 teams?

People love a winner. I get that. And there are plenty of fans on the current Dodger bandwagon. Last year, they had more than 4 million fans at their home games and more than 50,000 fans in the stands for many of them. 

Think of the parking revenue, the Otani merch and all the Dodger dogs they sell. 

I saw that first-hand when I was at Dodger Stadium on a beautiful sun-splashed summer night last year.

But it's more - a big data point from the Commissioner's office as MLB pushes for a salary cap in the next labor deal.

As reported by Sportico this week, the Dodgers currently have $1.1 billion in deferred contracts. While it is possible other teams may defer a contract, but L.A. has transformed it into a new art form. 

Think if you could buy whatever souped up luxury car, pay a little on it now, but delay paying it off for 25 years. In my case, I'm not sure I'd been worrying much about the final payoff! 

In my example, your current household budget isn't stretched thin. And you mitigate impact on taxes. Now imagine not just one luxury car but a whole fleet. Meanwhile, #CoachJeff drives his gently used Jeep Grand Cherokee alongside all his neighbors with their regular late model vehicles.

In the Dodgers' case, despite the fact they have signed all these big name free agent starts, they don't have the highest payroll. Not by a long shot. And thus, they have a lower luxury tax penalty.

But wait, there's more.

When the Dodgers were sold out of bankruptcy in 2012, they got a sweetheart tv deal from the court. In essence, a chunk of Dodgers tv revenue was exempted from revenue sharing. Sportico estimates $100 million is exempted for a huge savings. According to the website Awful Announcing, that figure is up to $55 million. 

For sure, small market teams benefit from the Dodgers' spending but not to the degree they might without the unique tv deal. 

So, the whole thing falls a little flat when there is all the straight-faced indignation coming out of Chavez Ravine. Of course, they aren't violating any fine print. We all agree to that. But the fine print is written to benefit them. And when I read phrases like "hell bent on being the first N.L. team to three-peat" I roll my eyes. And when I hear Dodger brass dismiss the notion they are ruining baseball, I sigh a little louder.

But I can also put my sighs and eye rolls into action even as I hope MLB is able to rein this in.

My friend Dave once said his favorite team is "the Rangers and whomever is playing the Yankees." I'll amend his phrase and say "the Braves and whomever is playing the Dodgers." I'll root for all 29 with everything I've got and enjoy doing it along the way.

Yes, even for the Yankees.

JG