Enjoy it While You Can!
It was both surprising and not surprising to me that the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker. That they can make it work is a tribute to the true genius of Mark Walter and Andrew Friedman. Enjoy it while you can, because it will end soon. In the upcoming CBA and talks among owners, MLB…
It was both surprising and not surprising to me that the Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker. That they can make it work is a tribute to the true genius of Mark Walter and Andrew Friedman. Enjoy it while you can, because it will end soon. In the upcoming CBA and talks among owners, MLB will implement what we may call “The Dodger Restriction.” I cannot tell you for certain how it will be structured, but it will include the following:
- A Salary Cap – While it may not be called that, it will effectively limit what the Dodgers can spend on players. This could result in a prolonged lockout.
- More Revenue Sharing – You can hate this all you want, but the Dodgers possess the greatest buying power in MLB, even higher than the Yankees. Yes, some owners are cheapskates and penny pinchers, but the Dodgers may have 10 times their resources. The Dodgers and other strong teams in MLB will have to share revenue. Not fair? You can’t play and win without having other teams. It smacks of Socialism, but it has to happen.
- Eliminate Deferred Payments – Shohei Ohtani’s payment deferral is the ultimate smart deal. I think MLB will insist that teams be fiscally responsible and require payouts in the season they are playing.
The baseball team owners are going to insist on an overhaul of the game’s economic system to include a salary cap. Signing Kyle Tucker is the icing on the cake. Player leadership has indicated it won’t even consider a capped system. Be prepared for a Lockout that could last the entire 2027 season and even longer.
It is somewhat embarrassing to me that the Dodgers can so flagrantly taunt other teams with their financial strength, but they are playing within the rules. However, the rules are about to be changed because of them. What’s done is done. As hard as it may be, I look for the Dodgers to win the 2026 World Series. Three in a row may be it, as I can see a scenario whereby there is no World Series in 2027.
Once the new CBA is implemented (by 2028), here is what the Dodgers will face:
- Freddie Freeman will be gone.
- Mookie Betts will be 35 and in decline at 2B.
- Kyle Tucker will have a couple more years on his deal and be playing 1B or LF.
- Will Smith will be 33 and will have to rest more.
- Shohei Ohtani may be a freak, but he will be 33 in 2028 and may decline from the 1.000+ OPS he has put up the past three seasons.
The good news is that the Dodger Farm System is strong and should be producing prospects. This could be the lineup in 2028:
C- Smith/Rushing
1B – Tucker
2B – Betts
SS – Morales
3B – Wagner
LF – Quintero/DePaula
CF – Sirota
RF – Pages
DH – Ohtani
The farm is loaded, so the Dodgers may continue to be the envy of MLB, however, there will be major changes after next season. Bet on it!
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (68)
Disagree, not disagreeable
The player union will NEVER agree to a salary cap or the elimination of player salary deferrals. What I could see is higher penalties for going over total salary limits.
Every sport effectively has a salary cap. They may not agree to it, but it will be forced down their throats. I can see a year’s lockout after which both sides agree to binding arbitration, and the arbitrator makes it so.
I agree that a long lockout is very possible. That’s why let’s win the World Series again this year, because the future of baseball is so uncertain and enjoy the Ohtoni Era while we can.
Don’t forget a salary floor.
The Phillies and J.T. Realmuto have an agreement in place to reunite on a new deal. It’s a $45MM guarantee over three years for the CAA Sports client, with incentives worth $5MM annually. Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic first reported the two sides were close. Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Robert Murray of FanSided reported the agreement was in place and provided specifics of the contract.
The Top Team Owners will insist.
If the owners lock the players out, it will be more disastrous for baseball than the 94-95 strike. Fans are not going to continue to put up with rising ticket prices and other expensive parts of the game. Hell, a hot dog at Dodger Stadium is over 7 bucks.
If there is a lockout, do the players get paid, are signing bonuses affected? what happens to the contract. are they extended?
I want to bump Rata’s question above.. “If there is a lockout, do the players get paid, are signing bonuses affected? what happens to the contract. are they extended?”
No, Major League Baseball (MLB) players are not paid their base salaries during a strike or work stoppage, as they only receive paychecks during the regular season.
$7 dogs are so unnecessary. At Camden Yards, dogs are $4, popcorn is 3 and soda refills are $4. Certain12oz beers are $5. Baltimore cares about families and makes it possible for a family of 4 to see a ballgame for $100 or less There’s no reason the Dodgers can’t do the same. They should be ashamed of the way they treat the fans.
How about the minors? Will they continue to play? If I remember correctly, they did in 94/95.
During an MLB work stoppage (strike or lockout), players still receive bonus payments, deferred compensation, and other money that was earned or vested prior to the work stoppage. However, they do not receive their regular season salaries, as players are typically only paid during the regular season.
During a lockout, owners bar players from working, and no salary is paid for games or days that don’t happen. Most MLB signing bonuses: Are paid on a fixed date; Are not contingent on games being played; and Still get paid during a lockout. Contracts are NOT voided, canceled, or automatically extended.
You can bring whatever food you want in to Dodger stadium. I saw guys bringing in full Pizza boxes, Subs, etc….if folks want to buy $7 dogs thats fine you always have a choice. If some of that money goes to a winning product on the field, fine with me….
You want $4 dogs OR back to back WS titles and 3 in 6….
I believe players on the 40 man rosters cannot play in minor league games because they belong to the MLB Union. All other other players can be paid from their affiliate minor league teams when their season starts.
Give me a break they treat the fans to the best product in Baseball….
Mark, you made the following statement above with regard to a salary floor: “The Top Team Owners will insist.” I disagree. The top teams (Dodgers, Yanks, Mets, etc.) would be more than happy to let the A’s of the world spend very little since that would just make them less competitive. It’s the Player’s Union who would insist on a salary floor. For the good of the game, both Tony Clark and Manfred should resign at the end of this season so that two new people who haven’t built up such animosity can take charge of the negotiations.
Good question. Signing bonuses are not affected.
Just to be clear, it is possible that if there is a lockout in 2027 and Tucker exercises his option to opt out, Tucker will only be with the Dodgers for one year (2026.)
no chance a labor dispute does to arbitration, do you mean mediation? If the owners continue to refuse to open their books, I fail to see how the players should see this as a good faith negotiation Rosenthal touches on this for The athletic ($$$) https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6976696/2026/01/16/dodgers-kyle-tucker-lockout-mlb-labor/?source=user_shared_article The Dodgers not only outspend every team by a wide margin, but also outsmart and outperform them. In the current system, their success prevents them from picking high enough in the draft to access future stars like Paul Skenes, Bobby Witt Jr. and Tucker, who went fifth overall in 2015. Thus, the Dodgers are denied the best avenue to the most precious resource in the sport: young, controllable star talent. The only way for them to access such players is through trades and free agency. Now that they are awash in money thanks to Shohei Ohtani, they’re supposed to stop trying their hardest to get good players?
Sooooo….. Minor leagues still play? If I were the owners, I would have my AAA team play in every major league ballpark for a 162 game season plus playoffs.
Possible
They would be happy in that case if there was a gop cap but if they have to share more revenue they will want to make sure the other teams are spending not pocketing the money.