Roberts, Dodgers Embrace Role as MLB's ‘Dark Side’ Villains

Perhaps the Dodgers' victory song, Randy Newman's "I Love L.A.," will serve as the theme song for the most reviled team in baseball.

Star shortstop Mookie Betts didn't shy away from the villain tag back in Feb. 2024.

Are the Dodgers Ruining Baseball?

There's been plenty of debate over the years about whether the Dodgers are indeed ruining baseball. Back in February, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addressed concerns about payroll disparity.

"Disparity should be, it certainly is, at the top of my list of concerns about what's occurring in the sport," Manfred said. "When I say I can't be critical of the Dodgers -- they're doing what the system allows. If I'm going to be critical of somebody, it's not going to be the Dodgers. It's going to be the system."

The Dodgers have committed over $500 million in salaries and projected luxury tax in 2025, and structured contracts with deferred payments totaling over $1 billion, split between eight players — Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Blake Snell, Will Smith, Tommy Edman, Tanner Scott, Teoscar Hernandez and Betts.

From 2028 to 2046, the Dodgers will owe over $1 billion in deferred payments.

Are the Dodgers experts at flexing financial creativity, or are they manipulating the current system?

Smaller market owners are crying foul, and the situation could cause a work stoppage next winter. Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires in Dec. 2026. Some owners are pushing for the introduction of a salary cap system.

The hate for the Dodgers has reached the point that fans are showing up to Dodger Stadium dressed in "vilLAins" hats and tee shirts stylized to the Dodgers' LA logo.

Apparently, the designs originate from Villains Barbershop in South Gate, California.

How Do the Dodgers Stack Up Against the ‘Dynasty Era’ Yankees?

There was a time when the New York Yankees reigned supreme over the baseball galaxy by winning four World Series titles in five years between 1996 and 2000.

The Yankees earned the nickname "The Evil Empire" after Boston Red Sox team president Larry Lucchino vented his frustration after the Bronx Bombers beat Boston to the signing of starting pitcher Jose Contreras in Dec. 2002.

"The Evil Empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America," Lucchino responded to the New York Times when asked about the signing in 2002.

When the Yankees took the field, they responded to Lucchino's gibe by playing "The Imperial March" while introducing opposing lineups.

Should the Dodgers capture a second consecutive World Series title, it would mark three championships in six years. That's not quite turn-of-the-millennium Yankee-level dominance.

Former Yankees captain Derek Jeter doesn't quite view the Dodgers as a dynasty just yet.

"They've got to do it first," Jeter said during an appearance on FOX Sports.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/g8y0O40AL_A

Whether or not Roberts and the Dodgers pull off a third championship in six years, they still have more work ahead to match the accomplishments of the Joe Torre-led Yankees.