US News Metro Long Island Politics

Sports NFL MLB Olympics NBA NHL College Football College Basketball WNBA

Business Personal Finance

Entertainment TV Movies Music Celebrities Awards Theater

Lifestyle Weird But True Sex & Relationships Viral Trends Human Interest Parenting Fashion & Beauty Food & Drink Travel

Health Wellness Fitness Health Care Medicine Men’s Health Women’s Health Mental Health Nutrition

Science Space Environment Wildlife Archaeology

Today’s Paper Covers Columnists Horoscopes Crosswords & Games Sports Odds Podcasts Careers

Email Newsletters Official Store Home Delivery Tips

How the Dodgers may trigger baseball’s next labor war

The Dodgers are the best team in baseball. And maybe just too good for baseball to continue as is.

That’s because the back-to-back World Series champions have such a huge lead in payroll that they might trigger a lockout.

For many years, I’ve enjoyed watching games from my season ticket seats in Dodger Stadium, on the Loge level, behind home plate.

Ten games a season is enough to feel the rhythm of a year.I’ve watched Mookie Betts justify every dollar of his $365 million contract. I’ve seen the organization structure Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal — with massive deferrals that dramatically reduce the present luxury-tax hit — to preserve long-term flexibility.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!

I’ve watched the Dodgers commit $325 million to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, because frontline pitching wins in October. They extended Will Smith for $140 million. They gave Tyler Glasnow $136.5 million to anchor the rotation.

That’s not reckless spending. That’s calculated ambition.

And now that ambition has made the Dodgers the symbol in a fight that could trip up the entire sport.

But this isn’t just about payroll.

It’s about whether Major League Baseball is headed toward a salary cap battle that........

© New York Post