Players Choosing Dodgers Despite Getting Better Offers From Other Teams
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the unquestioned winners of the MLB offseason.
Shohei Ohtani started things off by agreeing to a record setting $700 million deal in early December. His unusual contract structure though, allowed the Dodgers to spend more to continue improving the team. And spend they have.
A trade for elite starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays, followed by maybe the biggest surprise of them all: Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto was widely viewed as the best starting pitcher available, despite having never thrown a pitch in the major leagues.
As a 25-year-old free agent with high quality pitch data available through his World Baseball Classic appearance, Yamamoto received interest from virtually every big spending team in the league. And in what’s become a trend this offseason, he chose the Dodgers over all of them.
That may not come as a big surprise considering he had the opportunity to play with Shohei Ohtani. But what is surprising is that according to new details on the offers he received, he actually turned down an effectively better contract from the New York Yankees.
Which raises the question, why have players started choosing the Dodgers, even if it’s not in their best financial interest? And why are they are getting so much criticism for it?
BUNKYO CITY, JAPAN - MARCH 12: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of Team Japan reacts while pitching during Game 8 of Pool B between Team Japan and Team Australia at Tokyo Dome on Sunday, March 12, 2023 in Bunkyo City, Japan. (Photo by Yuki Taguchi/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Dodgers Benefitting From Past Success
According to Ken Rosenthal, “The Yankees offered Yamamoto a higher average annual value than the Dodgers, an earlier opt-out and more money in the first five years.”
The Yankees offer was better not just because of the higher average value, but crucially the total money available in the first five years. The reported agreement with LA has an opt out built in after that year, meaning that Yamamoto could have made more money during that time period and then opted out while still in the prime of his career.
He chose the Dodgers anyway.
Ohtani offered his same contract to every interested team. He chose the Dodgers too. But why?
Winning.
Ohtani spoke about his desire to win being a key motivator in choosing LA. Yamamoto hasn’t yet publicly commented, but his desire to pitch in the spotlight is well documented. There’s no bigger spotlight than the postseason.
Glasnow agreed to an extension before pitching a game for the Dodgers, and in interviews, said the team’s willingness to spend money was a major reason why. And with all three of them on the same team, they’re set to do a lot more winning.
READ: DODGERS HAVE BUILT A SUPERTEAM, BUT DOES IT MATTER IN OCTOBER?
What Can Other Teams Learn?
Simply, you have to spend money to make money.
Money clearly doesn’t buy championships, because if it did, the Dodgers and Yankees and Mets would win every year. But it does, generally, buy a measure of success that attracts new players. At least, if you spend it well.
LA built a powerhouse farm system that churns out useful major leaguers. They supplant those prospects with established talent, or trade them for proven stars like Glasnow. Players clearly notice that level of sustained success, and when given a choice, they’re picking the Dodgers.
Sounds easy, right? Build a consistent winner, year after year. The Padres tried, then gave up after a year and a half and traded Juan Soto. Had they committed and rebounded in 2024, they could have become an even more attractive destination. But established free agents want to commit to spending most of their career in one city without being traded.
The Dodgers offer that, many others don’t. And it’s made them the team to beat in 2024 and beyond.