Manfred: 'I don't agree' that Dodgers are bad for baseball

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred doesn't think the Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball with their extravagant spending habits.

"I don’t agree with that," Manfred said Thursday, according to The Athletic's Evan Drellich. "The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization. Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules. They’re trying to give their fans the best possible product. Those are all positives."

The Dodgers own baseball's highest payroll at $353 million after winning the 2024 World Series.

The club added Michael Conforto, Roki Sasaki, Hyeseong Kim, Blake Snell, Kirby Yates, and Tanner Scott this offseason. Los Angeles has utilized deferred money in many contracts over the past few seasons, drawing the ire of opposing fans and owners.

"I recognize, however, and my email certainly reflects it: There are fans in other markets who are concerned about their teams' ability to compete, and we always have to be concerned when our fans are concerned about something," Manfred added. "But pinning it on the Dodgers, not in that camp."

The Dodgers' spending habits have led to calls for a salary cap, including from Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein.

"This is an issue that we need to be vigilant on," Manfred said. "We need to pay attention to it, and we need to determine whether there are things that can be done to allay those kinds of concerns and make sure we have a competitive and healthy game going forward."

The current collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire in December 2026, was reached after a contentious negotiation led to a slight delay to the start of the 2022 regular season.