Have Dodgers really got their money’s worth this season?

The Los Angeles Dodgers enter play on Wednesday with MLB's highest active payroll and plenty of uncertainty about what could happen in the postseason.

The Dodgers' current 88-69 mark gives them a 1.5-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West with five road games left to play (two at Arizona and three in Seattle to finish the regular season). Depending on how the Dodgers, Padres and Chicago Cubs all finish, Los Angeles could find itself anywhere from the third to the sixth seed in the NL postseason bracket.

Wherever the Dodgers finish in the regular season, it's almost assured that Los Angeles will not earn one of the NL's top two seeds. That's a big deal as those top two teams automatically move on to the Division Series round without having to play wild-card games. It's an interesting scenario for the reigning world champions and a team that was (on paper) built to not only repeat in 2025, but also dominate as well.

Why are we here with Los Angeles Dodgers?

Injuries and inconsistencies have changed how the Dodgers are viewed heading into the postseason. Like every other NL team, they have their flaws ... and those flaws could lead to an exit before the World Series.

It's a staggering thought for a team that currently has an active payroll of more than $280 million (per Spotrac), more than $14 million more than the second-place New York Mets (a team that is struggling just to secure its spot in the postseason). Those, by the way, are the only teams with active payrolls over $200 million. As a note, the Chicago White Sox are at the bottom of that 30-team list at just over $18.6 million.

Offseason Los Angeles Dodgers investments aren't paying off

This offseason, the Dodgers invested heavily in their roster, signing seven players to contracts worth more than $10 million this season. Of those seven players, the biggest investment this offseason went toward starting pitcher Blake Snell, with a five-year, $182 million deal that included a $52 million signing bonus. 

In 10 games this season, Snell has pitched well (a 2.44 ERA in 55.1 innings), but the return on investment thanks to left shoulder inflammation that kept him out for four months has not been there. Snell is a microcosm of the Dodgers' investments not paying appropriate dividends in 2025.

Reliever Tanner Scott's four-year, $72 million deal has netted a 4.91 ERA and plenty of questions about what his role should be after allowing the game-winning runs in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks. 

Outfielder Michael Conforto's one-year, $17 million contract has been an albatross as he has posted an OPS+ of 80 (100 is considered league average). Another outfielder, Teoscar Hernandez, in the first year of his three-year, $66 million contract, is hitting just .233 since the All-Star break and has become a defensive liability, posting -9 Outs Above Average this season.

While Shohei Ohtani is motoring toward another Most Valuable Player honor and Mookie Betts is finally looking like himself again at the plate after hitting just .244 in the season's first half, there are plenty of other causes for concern with the Dodgers ... and many of them are making millions this season.

The Dodgers grabbed plenty of headlines this offseason with their spending. However, as October approaches, it's clear that titles aren't just won with big contracts and possibilities. Los Angeles needs to see its investments pay off in the postseason, or it will be just another season that ended in disappointment at Chavez Ravine.