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Is success of Dodgers, other powerhouse teams good for baseball?
It’s become clear that having a large payroll is a good strategy to win baseball games.
Yankees and Dodgers fans can't complain, as year after year, those teams continue to be in the upper echelon of clubs that have the resources to compete for championships. Still, this imbalance in MLB is something fans of any team can’t ignore — it’s changing the landscape of baseball as we know it.
True Blue LA's Eric Stephen estimated the Dodgers to have a new league-record $388.6M luxury-tax payroll, which would incur a competitive-balance tax of $137.8M. Plus, their roster seems to be stacked from top to bottom.
Ahead of Opening Day, ESPN Bet had the Dodgers as the favorite for the World Series at a +275 chance of winning it all, the highest since the 2002 Yankees. They’ve built a juggernaut through strong development, sharp management and consistent success that extends beyond just having deep pockets, though deep pockets definitely help.
There is a growing divide in MLB. On one hand, ESPN Bet set the Dodgers at 105.5 wins, 12 wins greater than any other MLB club. The White Sox have a projection of 53.5, while the Marlins are at 63.5 and the Rockies sit at 59.5. All three teams are deemed to have literally no shot of playing in the postseason.
This shows a troubling trend. The disparity between the top teams, like the Dodgers, and the lowly clubs, like the White Sox, could lead to a league where only a handful of teams have any real shot at contention. This raises the question: What’s left for the rest of the league?
The rise of teams like the Dodgers and their dominance in both financial power and competitive success has created a different atmosphere in MLB. While teams like the Yankees will always be part of the conversation for a championship, it’s also sobering to see how lopsided the competition can get.
The White Sox, Marlins and Rockies might be the poster kids for everything wrong with MLB right now — teams that have fallen behind due to an inability to compete financially and make the moves necessary to stay relevant. It doesn’t sit right to see the gap between teams grow to such extremes.
The idea of “any given year” feels like it’s being replaced by “only a few teams have a shot.”
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Mets manager confirms veteran pitcher done for the season due to 'pretty significant' injury
The New York Mets announced that Frankie Montas has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 22) due to a UCL-related injury in his right elbow. Right-hander Huascar Brazoban has been called up from Triple-A to take Montas’ spot on the active roster. Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Montas’ UCL injury is “pretty significant,” via Mike Puma of the New York Post. Mendoza went on to confirm that Montas will not pitch again in 2025. It’s the latest setback in what was been a brutal inaugural season for Montas in Queens. The right-hander signed a $34M guarantee with the Mets during the winter but has produced just 38 2/3 innings of work for the team so far. A lat strain suffered at the outset of Spring Training left Montas to open the season on the injured list and he did not make his season debut until June 24. After throwing five scoreless innings in his first start of the year, Montas pitched to a ghastly 7.85 ERA over his next six starts with an 18.2% strikeout rate and a whopping seven home runs allowed. Those brutal results led the Mets to move Montas to the bullpen earlier this month, where he’s surrendered four runs (two earned) on four walks and six hits (including a home run) while striking out just three. Altogether, Montas has posted a 6.28 ERA and a 5.31 FIP during his time with the Mets with an 18.0% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate. It’s a deeply disappointing outcome, and now it’s an open question when Montas will next be available to pitch. The Mets have made no announcements about the right-hander’s timeline for return, nor offered any indications about the severity of the injury. Of course, many fans will wonder about the possibility of Tommy John surgery, which is often required to repair a pitcher’s UCL once damaged. Such a procedure (or even a less invasive internal brace procedure) would likely cost Montas not only the remainder of this year but also the entire 2026 season. With that being said, some UCL injuries are possible to address via rehab. That’s a path that Braves hurler Grant Holmes opted to take earlier this month as he deals with a partial UCL tear, though even Holmes’s rehab process has brought his 2025 campaign to an abrupt end. While the details of Montas’ prognosis and timeline for return won’t be clear until the Mets make an announcement offering more information, the club will be without the right-hander for at least the immediate future. Given the fact that Montas’ performance was poor enough that he was bumped from the rotation earlier this month, perhaps that’s not too massive of a blow. Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Clay Holmes remain in the club’s rotation and have recently been joined by top prospect Nolan McLean. Brandon Waddell and Justin Hagenman remain in the minors already on the 40-man roster as potential depth options behind that group, and well-regarded prospect Brandon Sproat has a 4.24 ERA in 24 starts at Triple-A this year. Replacing Montas on the roster is Brazoban, who began his career in the majors with Miami back in 2022 but has served as an up-and-down relief arm for the Mets this year. It’s a role he’s performed quite well in, with a 3.83 ERA and 4.14 FIP across 51 2/3 innings of work spread between 3 starts and 41 relief outings. Brazoban figures to take up Montas' mantle as the club’s long reliever going forward.
Jets coaches try to calm situation in wake of Justin Fields' comments
According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, New York Jets starting quarterback Justin Fields did not throw a pass that traveled 10 yards in the air during his two preseason appearances. Some have voiced concerns about the Jets' passing attack with Fields in the lineup, but he insisted while speaking with reporters on Tuesday that he's "fine with taking eight-yard completions every play." On Wednesday, Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand addressed Fields' comment. "He's going to play the play the way the defense allows him to play it," Engstrand said about Fields, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. "So if they're going to allow him to take a shot down the field, he's going to take it. If they don't allow him, he's going to check the ball down, and we'll move on to the next play. We're all good with that." Fields completed just one of five passes for four yards in the Jets' 31-12 loss to the New York Giants on Saturday. According to Fox Sports, he connected on four of nine pass attempts for 46 yards across his first two preseason appearances of the summer. Despite such lackluster numbers, first-year Jets head coach Aaron Glenn suggested on Tuesday that he is ignoring "the noise that happens on the outside" regarding the team's passing offense. On Wednesday, Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner praised Fields for knowing when to take a checkdown and when to challenge an opposing defense. "I think you've seen a lot of quarterbacks in this league, Josh Allen pops into mind, who really cut down his turnovers last year and won MVP by not always trying to make the big huge play, but make the right play. Justin has done a nice job with that," Turner said. ESPN stats show that Fields averaged 6.9 yards per pass attempt over six starts and 10 appearances with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Per Pro Football Reference, 22 qualified quarterbacks had a better yards per pass attempt average for the 2024 campaign. Dan Graziano of ESPN noted Wednesday that the $10M guaranteed that the Jets owe Fields for 2026 "won't prevent them from" looking for an upgrade at the position next year if he doesn't make "a major leap as a passer." It's still early into this experiment, but there's no sign that such a leap is coming anytime soon.
CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
Buccaneers' Shilo Sanders may have jeopardized chance to make 53-man roster
Saturday was not a good day for Shedeur Sanders and Shilo Sanders, two players competing for a spot on the 53-man roster of their respective teams, the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hours after Shedeur took more sacks (five) than completions (three) and had a heated moment with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, Shilo was ejected from the Buccaneers' preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. "Bucs S Shilo Sanders has been ejected from tonight's game following an unnecessary roughness penalty," Scott Smith of the Buccaneers posted on X. Shilo appeared to take exception to Zach Davidson hitting and blocking him after a play had ended before the rookie took a swing at the Bills' tight end. The ejection came at a bad time for Shilo, who was competing with Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom for the No. 4 safety spot on the depth chart. Before the game, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said that Shilo's output against the Bills would be big in his evaluation before the team has to trim the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. "Shilo's very aggressive, very young, very hungry," Bowles said. "He can make plays in the box and we know he can run down and give us 100% on special teams, so this last week is going to be very important for those guys to show up." Following the ejection, Shilo lost critical playing time to show his strengths on the field. He also showed the coaching staff a short temper and cost Tampa Bay with an unnecessary penalty. Shilo will end his preseason with four total tackles. He has shown he has the talent to be in the league, but Shilo's role will likely be as a practice squad player until his play and mental strength develop.
Matthew Knies Speaks On 'Weird' Maple Leafs’ Locker Room Change
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies acknowledged that Mitch Marner’s departure will leave a noticeable void inside the team’s locker room, even if the two only shared two seasons together. Speaking at a promotional event on Saturday, via the Toronto Sun, Knies admitted that the absence of the long-standing member of the Leafs' now-former "Core Four" will be felt when the group reconvenes for training camp ahead of the 2025-26 season. "I’m looking forward to camp and thus get to enjoy these last two weeks off because we want to go as far as possible," Knies said. "Without Mitch, it’s going to obviously be different. Definitely weird in the locker room not seeing him at first. There’ll be a new (locker room) deejay." Core Four Era Ends With Mitch Marner’s Exit The Leafs dealt Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade in parallel with the star winger signing an eight-year, $96 million deal with his new franchise, closing the book on his nine-year tenure in Toronto. Marner's exit officially ended the "Core Four" era that defined the franchise for nearly a decade alongside current captain Auston Matthews, fellow winger William Nylander, and former captain John Tavares. During their time together in Toronto, those four didn't amount to much success outside of the regular season. Although the team hasn't missed the playoffs since they returned in 2017, the Leafs will enter their post-Marner era having won just two playoff series since then, never advancing past the second round. Matthew Knies' Take on How to Replace Mitch Marner's Production Knies, who broke out with 29 goals and 58 points last season before signing a six-year, $46.5 million extension, said he expects the Leafs to adjust quickly with the offseason additions of Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua. “It’ll be a bit different without Mitch, but the acquisitions we’ve made have been looking good,” Knies said. “I don’t know what we’ll put together at the start of the season, but we have a lot of great players on our team.” Asked who might take over Marner’s right-wing role to make up for his voided production, Knies pointed to Nylander, saying, “Willy is pretty dynamic. (Moving Nylander to the first-line gap) wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.” The Leafs and Golden Knights are scheduled to meet on January 15 in Las Vegas, with Marner returning to Scotiabank Arena on January 23.
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