Dodger Class

Morning Dose: Monday, January 20

☀️ Good Morning:

People often forget that Steve Cohen nearly bought the Dodgers.

Only after falling short in that bid did he eventually find a path to purchase his favorite team.

The way things are looking right now, it’s almost as if Cohen is financing the franchise he cited as a model organization for the Mets.

Less than 48 hours after Roki Sasaki announced his inevitable decision to join the Boys in Blue, the Dodgers solidified an already dominant bullpen by signing left-hander Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract.

With Scott, Los Angeles has a 2025 luxury-tax payroll that is projected to be over $60 million more than the next closest team, and over $75 million higher than the Mets.

Today, we will talk about the Dodgers’ spending in relation to the Mets, and what it could mean in the next CBA.

📬 MAILBAG: Thanks for sending so many wonderful questions for the mailbag. In talking about the Dodgers, I will respond to one of those questions today, and we will dive into the rest over the next several days.

☕️ Grab your coffee for your morning dose of Mets Fix!

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⚾️ HALL OF FAME: We will learn the next Hall-of-Fame class today. As of this morning, Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia appear to be absolute locks. Suzuki could become the first unanimous selection since Mariano Rivera.

• Billy Wagner is also trending towards being elected, with Hall Tracker Ryan Thibodaux showing him at 84.8%. Players need to reach at least 75% to be elected.

• Carlos Beltrán is right on the line at 80.6%. There is typically a 5% drop off in final balloting.

via Ryan Thibodaux

✍️ SIGNING: The Blue Jays signed free-agent outfielder Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract that is valued closer to $70 million with deferrals (thus, bringing his AAV down to ~$14 million). Santander can opt out after the third year unless Toronto overrides that opt out by picking up an option for 2030.

• PETE? This doesn’t necessarily rule the Blue Jays out on Alonso. Their payroll is now above the initial tax line, but they have some breathing room before reaching the second threshold. Sportsnet notes Alonso could still be added to DH or split first base duties with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has incentive to move to third to up his market value.

🙏 RIP: Former Mets manager Jeff Torborg passed away on Sunday at the age of 83. The former catcher had been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2010, but his official cause of death was not announced.

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💰 Spend Money, Money. Make Money, Money

As baseball collectively moans at the Dodgers for signing seeming every marquee free-agent on the market, including Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, the Mets must hope it doesn’t push major-league owners to the breaking point, capitalizing on public discontent to lobby for stricter payroll limits in the next CBA.

There are two stories to discuss: what the Dodgers’ success and payroll means for the competitive nature of the sport and future CBA negotiations; and what the Dodgers’ success and payroll means relative to the Mets.

For today’s newsletter, we will save the debate about competitive balance and focus on the impact to the your favorite baseball team.

The difference between the Dodgers and Cohen-led Mets used to be mostly defined by prudence and talent instead of pure cash.

• In 2024, LA’s payroll was only $5 million higher than the Mets.

• In 2023, the Mets spent over $100 million (!) more than the Dodgers.

Like David Stearns, Dodgers president Andrew Friedman applied the shrewd management style he mastered presiding over a small-market team to an organization with a much larger budget. The result: spending, with a purpose.