The Los Angeles Dodgers are gaining national attention with all of the spending the team does. For either the right or the wrong reasons, the world is taking notice of what the back-to-back World Series Champions are doing. Since November, when Los Angeles won the Fall Classic, they have brought in two of the top-dollar free agents in Edwin Diaz and outfielder Kyle Tucker.
With an already stacked roster, the only “needs” the Dodgers were thought to have were a closer and left fielder, which they addressed clearly. Baseball’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, recently spoke with national media outlet NBC about the team’s spending and the quest for a three-peat.
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Shohei Ohtani’s Message About Team Spending
There’s no doubting that with Shohei Ohtani’s global presence, the Dodgers are profiting large margins off his brand and all their other Japanese players.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani revealed his thoughts on team spending with NBC News in an interview on Tuesday:
“Yeah, I think with what the ownership group has done … is great,” Ohtani said through a translator when “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas asked him whether the team’s extraordinary payroll was good for the game.
GettyFanGraphs projects the Los Angeles Dodgers as the heavy 2026 World Series favorite.
“I mean, obviously the fans pay money to, they buy tickets and they, you know, they come to the game. So I think that money is being … used back to sign these, these great players, and put up, put out a winning product on the field.”
While there might continue to be backlash about the team’s spending, when you bring in a generational talent like Shohei Ohtani, he acts like a magnet to other star players.
Ohtani won his third consecutive MVP award in 2025 and might be the most talented athlete in the world right now with what he does on both sides of the baseball. He returned to the mound in July and has since also had signature pitching moments.
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Dodgers 2026 Payroll Estimate; Ohtani on Three-Peating
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ estimated payroll is set to be north of $400 million, which could be more than $100 million more than the next closest MLB team.
The last thing Ohtani added in the interview with NBC was his thoughts on a three-peat, and what it would mean for his career:
“As you look back at history, there’s only been a, you know, small group of teams that have three-peated,” Ohtani said, adding: “The task is going to be very difficult. However, I do hope that, you know, when I retire and I look back and I can be able to say that, hey, I was on that team that won three, three championships in a row. That would be very cool.”
Ohtani could be on the trajectory to become the best baseball player to have ever lived, and Dodgers/MLB fans around the country need to enjoy what is playing out right in front of them.
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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Sends Clear Message About Team Spending Amid Backlash