Dodgers Owner Mark Walter: "we’ve Got To Have Some Parity"

On their measurement into nan clubhouse Thursday, Dodgers players were greeted by nan World Series title trophies they won successful 2024 and 2025. In halfway field, Dodgers fans were greeted by oversize replicas of those trophies, nan amended for taking a selfie.

On societal media, nan Dodgers unveiled their Opening Day hype video. These were nan first words: “What’s incorrect pinch being nan bad guy?” At Dodger Stadium, nan threepeat hype video was a movie trailer pinch this tag line: “Great sequels build legendary trilogies.”

To nan remainder of that country, each that winning and each that spending makes nan Dodgers nan bad guys. For much than a year, nan owners of different awesome convention teams person telegraphed their desire to restrain each that spending, preferably done a net cap.

How does nan proprietor of nan Dodgers feel?

Does shot genuinely person a problem?

Sit down, Dodgers fans. You mightiness expect nan proprietor of nan Colorado Rockies to opportunity that gross disparity among teams is truthful awesome that competitory equilibrium has been destroyed, and he did.

You mightiness not expect Dodgers proprietor Mark Walter to opportunity this:

”Here’s what nan problem is: Money helps america win. We can’t triumph each nan time. We’ve sewage to person immoderate parity,” Walter told me.

“So we’ve sewage to travel up pinch thing that will springiness america immoderate parity.”

Don’t return this nan incorrect way: Walter will ever want to win. But nan owners, Walter included, are progressively agreed successful nan belief that gross disparity is nan superior mentation why a small-market squad has not won nan World Series successful 11 years.

The Dodgers are making much money from Uniqlo successful naming rights this play than immoderate teams are making from section tv authorities and nan Dodgers besides are making 10 times arsenic overmuch connected their SportsNet LA deal.

The Dodgers generated an estimated $850 cardinal successful gross past season, according to Forbes. Their opening time opponent, nan Arizona Diamondbacks, generated an estimated $324 million.

If Walter were to support nan pursuit of a net cap, nan owners’ ballot could beryllium unanimous. For now, negotiations pinch nan players’ national person not started. There is nary general owners’ connection connected nan table, truthful location is thing for Walter to o.k. aliases reject.

“We’ll person to spot what it is,” Walter said.

The players’ national does not conflict nan gross disparity. The national believes nan owners should lick that rumor among themselves, by sharing much gross and adding incentives for lower-revenue teams that win. The national besides believes “competitive balance” is simply a fig leafage for “cost power that increases proprietor profits.”

In nan NFL, which has a net cap, either nan Kansas City Chiefs aliases nan New England Patriots has played successful nan AFC title successful each of nan past 15 years.

And, moreover if nan Dodgers are nan bad guys, they are not bad for business. The Dodgers clasp 5 of nan apical 12 spots connected baseball’s list of best-selling jerseys: Shohei Ohtani astatine No. 1, Yoshinobu Yamamoto astatine No. 2, Mookie Betts astatine No. 5, Freddie Freeman astatine No. 7 and Kiké Hernandez astatine No. 12.

The past 2 World Series, successful which nan Dodgers hit nan New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, juiced television ratings crossed nan state and astir nan world. The World Baseball Classic dominated headlines and societal media contented astatine what is usually a sleepy clip for baseball.

All of that momentum would beryllium astatine consequence if owners unopen down nan athletics successful “salary headdress aliases bust” corporate bargaining, crossing their fingers that players would surrender arsenic soon arsenic they started missing paychecks adjacent spring.

It is against that backdrop that Dodgers head Dave Roberts encouraged fans to admit this play opener. With imaginable armageddon looming successful negotiations for a caller corporate bargaining agreement, who knows erstwhile nan adjacent play mightiness really open?

“I understand that,” Roberts said Thursday, “in nan consciousness of, this is wherever nan CBA is at, arsenic acold arsenic nan expiration. And I do agree: Enjoy it, because thing is guaranteed. It’s going to beryllium a awesome twelvemonth and I dream everyone pours their spirits and their joyousness into this season, because it’s going to beryllium a awesome one. We’ll conscionable fig retired wherever it goes aft that.”

And, if it goes haywire aft that, nan Dodgers inevitably will beryllium blamed.

“That,” Roberts said pinch a laugh, “seems for illustration it’s ever been nan lawsuit recently.”

What would Walter show Dodgers fans concerned that what mightiness beryllium successful nan champion liking of shot mightiness not beryllium successful nan champion liking of nan Dodgers?

“I don’t want to wounded us,” Walter said. “We’ll beryllium fine.”

With immoderate happens?

“Yeah,” he said. “We’ll beryllium good.”