Dodgers’ Free Agent Slams Advocates of an MLB Salary Cap
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If they weren’t already Major League Baseball’s resident villains after winning the 2024 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers sealed their fate by winning the offseason.
In the span of the last three days, the Dodgers have been the busiest team on the free agent market. Friday, they signed Japanese star Roki Sasaki to a minor league contract, ending the suspense of the most widely coveted free agent pursuit of the offseason.
More news: Roki Sasaki Makes Choice, Ending Free Agency Suspense
Sunday, they agreed to terms with All-Star closer Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million contract, locking up the best relief pitcher still available.
The Dodgers’ emergence as an MLB “Death Star” has been met with predictable opposition. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Dodgers’ 2025 payroll for luxury tax purposes is up to $375 million — $70 million more than the number-2 Philadelphia Phillies.
When Tanner Scott’s deal is made official, the Dodgers’ luxury-tax payroll for 2025 will exceed $375 million. That is about $70 million more than the next-highest team, Philadelphia. The Yankees are the only other team with a CBT payroll projected to be over $300 million.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 19, 2025
Sunday, one Dodgers free agent pushed back against the notion that a salary cap would change the competitive imbalance in MLB.
Joe Kelly, a relief pitcher on Los Angeles’ last two World Series teams (2020 and 2024), believes players such as Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani would wind up on the Dodgers in a salary-cap system anyway.
“Let’s say Shohei Ohtani could only make $10,” Kelly said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast. “The whole entire league could pay Shohei Ohtani $10. He is coming from Japan. Growing up, watching movies – and if you just do a quick Google search, ‘best places to visit when you’re going to America’ – Minnesota is not popping up, Pittsburgh is not popping up, Milwaukee is not popping up.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 16: Joe Kelly #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers with other members of the bullpen walk into the dugout during a rain delay in the ninth inning of a game against… PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 16: Joe Kelly #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers with other members of the bullpen walk into the dugout during a rain delay in the ninth inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 9-8. Kelly slammed salary cap advocates in a new interview.
Rich Schultz/Getty Images
“Why … would he be like, ‘oh, I’m going to make $10 in Milwaukee.’ That’s the problem with the (salary) floor and the (salary) cap that people don’t understand,” Kelly continued. “Even if every team could pay him $10, he’s going to go to the team, number 1, which is a great destination to be at. Number 2, you have to show him what separates (your team) at that point.”
More news: Dodgers Pitcher Reveals Details of His Recruiting Call With Roki Sasaki
While the NFL, NBA, and NHL have used salary caps as a vehicle to effect competitive balance in their respective sports, baseball’s union has resisted a hard cap — and still managed to crown 16 different champions in the last 24 years.
Why 24? That period marks the last time any team won a World Series in back-to-back seasons; the New York Yankees won every year from 1998-2000.
More news: Dodgers’ Brooklyn Native Who Welcomed Jackie Robinson Dies: Report
Players are naturally averse to a salary-cap system because it limits what the top earners can earn. In December, outfielder Juan Soto signed a record 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. In a hard-cap system, the Mets might not have any money to spend on the rest of their roster after issuing a contract that large.
Kelly’s point would suggest that Soto might choose the Mets anyway, considering they reached the National League Championship Series last season and had the potential to win more.
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“I’m going to make my $10 on the team that wins and a place I want to be,” Kelly said. “That’s it. So it’s not going to change anything in baseball. All these players are going to go to the same exact spots. All these players, organizations, are going to win year and year out. The Dodgers would love it if there is a cap.”
Taking down the Dodgers’ Death Star might not be as easy as legislating a simple payroll limit.
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