Dodgers expand payroll gulf for 2025 season with latest signing

The Los Angeles Dodgers are not slowing down in their push to upgrade the roster.

Reliever Tanner Scott became the newest addition for the Dodgers as he reportedly agreed to a four-year, $72M contract. He is the latest piece in the Dodgers' stacked roster as they look to not only repeat as World Series champions but to dominate for the foreseeable future.

While the Dodgers have continued to open the vault this offseason, their spending pales compared to last year. The Dodgers spent over $1B in free agency, headlined by their long-term deals with two-way star Shohei Ohtani and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. One cannot argue with the results as the Dodgers won their first full-season World Series since 1988 after that spending spree.

The Dodgers blank check approach has led to a significant payroll discrepancy. Jeff Passan from ESPN noted that the Dodgers' luxury tax payroll will exceed $375M. That is more than $70M more than the Phillies and Yankees, the two other teams that are projected to have a luxury tax payroll over $300M.

The Dodgers' spending will also impact the roster in the future. The Spotrac account on X noted that the Dodgers have $1.375B in deferred money to eight players. While those deferrals will count against the luxury tax in the future, there is a belief that the Dodgers are exploiting the system.

There is no easy fix. The MLB Player's Union is opposed to a salary cap despite team owners pushing for one. Likewise, owners have pushed back against a salary floor. Unless something drastically changes in the next CBA, MLB's economics will remain the same. 

As such, the Dodgers will be able to keep writing checks that the rest of the league can only dream of as they build a superteam.