Dodgers run so much deeper than Evil Empire West
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts. Credit: AP
LOS ANGELES
In reality, the Dodgers aren’t ruining baseball. They’ve just been showing everyone else how the game should be played.
Whether it’s spending more than any other team or trying to become MLB’s first repeat champion since the Yankees’ dynasty at the turn of the century, the Dodgers make no apologies for building the richest, perhaps smartest and definitely the most successful franchise in the sport these days.
Villains? That just depends on your zip code. The Yankees didn’t give themselves the Evil Empire nickname but eventually came to embrace the moniker, with general manager Brian Cashman going so far as to refer to his front office as a “fully operational Death Star” during one offseason spending spree.
But dig a little deeper with these Dodgers and it becomes clear that it’s not just about the dollar signs. Investing $395 million certainly widens a roster’s margin for error, but if the formula were that simple, how do you explain the Mets sitting home this October despite a $340 million payroll? Or the Yankees, who paid $320 million to get bounced in the Division Series by the Blue Jays?
So when I asked Max Muncy about the Dodgers separating themselves from the competition and what drives this next potential dynasty, he quickly provided a half-dozen examples that go beyond president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman handing out nine-figure checks every winter.
Such as Mookie Betts responding to one of the team’s most pressing needs by turning himself into a full-time shortstop, or Freddie Freeman — former MVP and nine-time All-Star — on his knees, in the dirt, doing infield drills hours before first pitch, or the retiring Clayton Kershaw, soon to get a plaque in Cooperstown, outlasting his teammates in the weight room.
Culture can be difficult to define, but players recognize when they’re part of a special one and understand the importance of creating that environment over the course of a 162-game season.
When you put together tone-setters such as Betts, Freeman, Kershaw and Muncy, then have Shohei Ohtani defer nearly all of his $700 million to make room for even more, getting to the World Series isn’t just a cash transaction.
“I feel truly blessed to have been part of a culture that other people are finding out about, that they want to come over and join,” Muncy said. “That to me is a dynasty in its own right. Just the culture that we’ve created being the Dodgers. People know when they come in that it’s all about winning.
“How are you going to get better? How are you going to help the team win? What at-bat are you going to sacrifice to move a guy over to third base? Are you going to put your body on the line to help win a game? That’s something that everyone in the organization has bought into. Money can’t buy that. That’s the culture we’ve created as players, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of when we talk about a dynasty.”
Michael Conforto grew up with the Mets, spending six years in Flushing before an offseason shoulder injury greased his free-agent departure. There was a two-year stint with the Giants, and he appeared in 138 games for the Dodgers this season after signing a one-year, $15 million deal last winter.
Conforto didn’t make the World Series roster, but he’s had a front-row seat to the behind-the-scenes machinations of the defending champs.
“From my point of view, being with my third team, it’s clear that we have talent and they’ve invested in players. We have superstars,” he said. “But I think it’s about the players they target, the way that they scout, the way that the analytics group and the coaches all work together in how we prepare. The work ethic from our superstars that trickles down to everyone else on the team.
“Top to bottom, I think they just do everything at a very elite level. They also have an identity. Guys that have been here for a long time. They have [manager Dave Roberts] who’s been here. There’s expectations that start from the top, and I think that’s a huge part of having success.”
If all this sounds familiar among Bronx circles, it should. The Yankees rode the Core Four, along with Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre, to four World Series titles in five years, including a three-peat that ended with the 2000 win over the Mets. Recreating those glory years, obviously, has been elusive.
Over in Flushing, Steve Cohen’s stated mission since purchasing the Mets was to establish a Dodgers East on Seaver Way. Cohen respected L.A.’s organization-wide blueprint as the gold standard for sustained winning, along with the benefit of leaning on billions of personal equity, but it’s been impossible to duplicate the Dodgers’ stay at the top.
And this year’s step backward despite awarding Juan Soto a $765 million contract that far eclipsed Ohtani’s pact again reinforced that it’s about more than the cash.
“Everybody can spend money,” Betts said. “That’s one thing. But you want to come here and win. You take care of your business. We hold each other accountable, which I think is huge. We just want to be the smartest players, the best players, the most talented. I think that’s a really good formula for people wanting to come here.”
Regardless of how this World Series turns out, expect that to continue at Chavez Ravine. Tough luck, haters.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
