The Chicago Cubs’ president, Jed Hoyer, has heaped praise on the Los Angeles Dodgers amidst the talks revolving around an uneven atmosphere created by them. The main issue is the Dodgers spending huge amounts of money on signing players, making it difficult for other teams to sign new players; furthermore, causing an imbalance in the competitive market. Hoyer has though come in support of the Dodgers, talking about how they have been doing well in all departments. 

Jed Hoyer said that the Dodgers have fared well in payroll activities and deferrals. The Cubs President has noticed how the Dodgers made smarter moves than the other teams while focusing on the value. Thus, he couldn’t find anything wrong with how the organization operates, despite losing a prized star to the Dodgers that the Cubs were looking for. However, there’s more for which they are often called the Mighty Dodgers. Isn’t it?

Cubs believe something beyond payroll that makes the Dodgers special

Nothing stops the Chicago Cubs’ President, Jed Hoyer, from calling the Los Angeles Dodgers a division ‘favorite’. He commended them for their wise move even after they lost Tanner Scott, a key free agent they were pursuing, to the Dodgers. The club president said, “People focus on the size of their payroll and the deferments, and stuff like that, but it’s just a great organization that’s kind of running on all the cylinders.” Hoyer said that the Dodgers are too good both domestically and internationally in recruits, which aids in making more intelligent trades. But that’s not all!

He continues by saying that the Dodgers’ superiority lies not only in their payroll but also in their ability to extract more value from the margins. It allows them to sign some big free agents: Hyeseong Kim, Teoscar Hernández, to name a few, and now Tanner Scott. However, that’s where the problem arises; there has been a huge disparity in the spending power and revenues of the Dodgers and the other MLB teams. Given that they spare no expenses to manage their roster and have a massive $370 million left under their belt, the Dodgers have been much ahead of the rivals in terms of financial resources. 

Due to this, an uneven competition persists, which led to a lot of people flagging it and even blaming the Cubs’ president and chairman for not making adequate expenses. As for the Chicago Cubs, their unwillingness to spend on the major star Tanner Scott is also to blame, despite having a current payroll of approximately $180 million. Their chairman, Tom Ricketts, however, pointed out the huge amount of resources the Dodgers have, which makes them a formidable team to compete with. But is it entirely true that the Dodgers have everything they need? 

Dodgers seem to have everything in the right place

Well, the Los Angeles Dodgers have managed to tick all the right boxes. They have spent huge, to sign players like Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez, Hyeseong Kim, and now Tanner Scott; the Cubs were trying to get him. The Dodgers have deferred more than $1 billion, which is worth the valuation of some MLB teams—most importantly, the $680 million that they owe to Shohei Ohtani from 2034 to 2043, which is a part of the ten-year, $700 million deal he signed with the Dodgers. But that’s not all!

As per MLB insider Robert Murray, Tanner Scott’s $21 million has also been deferred, thus preventing any chances of a financial hit for the Dodgers. It allows them to save a good amount of money currently and spend more on other players; however, that creates an uneven atmosphere with the smaller teams. Now, the low-budget teams are left with no choices of the big players, and they have to sign small-budget players.

But the MLBPA does not have any problems with it, given that the players are paid ultimately. The Cubs, on the other hand, would like to consider their new 2025 payroll budget of $220 million, making a jump into the free agent pool as soon as possible. They made the playoffs in 2018, and the fans expect them to do much better with some major signings. What’s your take on it? Do share your thoughts in the comment below.