Former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig Criticizes Dodgers’ Spending

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2026 World Series to capture their first championship in franchise history.

Both teams ranked in the bottom half of the league in terms of payroll, with the Brewers at No. 19 and the Rays checking in 28th, according to Spotrac. That of course is in stark contrast to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been at the center of debate over an MLB salary cap.

The Dodgers’ lavish spending also drew the ire of former MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who is among those in support of a salary cap being included in a new collective bargaining agreement, per The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner.

“Would you really make that conclusion after (the) 44 years it took to win?” he said. “The Dodgers have spent money, like my favorite term: drunken sailor. I understand people can disagree, but I believe (a cap is) the right thing. But that’s for another day.”

With their victory, the Brewers are the lowest-payroll World Series champions of the last 23 years. Only the 2005 Florida Marlins had a lower payroll among World Series champions since 1995.

By their own admission, the Dodgers’ recent spending is an unsustainable business model.

Before the Dodgers became as aggressive they are now, their spending was well within league norms for big-market teams. The organization did not shy away from handing out large contracts, but reserved them for rewarding its own players with contract extensions.

Furthermore, the Dodgers’ ability to expand their budget was not an opportunity that simply fell into their lap. Rather, it was the result of the organization’s strong business acumen following the signing of Shohei Ohtani.

Even then, attracting Ohtani over several other suitors took more than a decade of hard work to build a prestigious and respected organization from the top down.

As for why it took so long for the Brewers to win their first World Series, it could have something to do with their 2,772-3,089 record (.473 winning percentage) from 1970-2006. That stretch encompasses Selig’s tenure as the team’s owner from 1970-2005.

The Brewers’ fortunes began to turn in 2007, when they recorded their first winning season in 14 years. From 2008-11, they made as many postseason appearances as they had from 1970-2007.

Under general manager and newly minted president of baseball operations Matt Arnold, the Brewers have become perennial postseason contenders over the last nine seasons.

Rather than catering to ineffectively run organizations, the Brewers should be celebrated as an example of what clubs can accomplish when they get the right people in place.

Dodgers free agents 2027

Although the Dodgers are projected to have one of the highest payrolls in the Majors once again next season, the organization could still be incentivized to spend more this offseason.

L.A. will likely have interest in signing Tarik Skubal, who arguably is the team’s most important free agent this winter. Whether the move is financially feasible for the Dodgers will depend on either reaching a deal before the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1 at 8:59 p.m. PT or the terms of the next CBA.