There has been plenty of talk about whether the Dodgers’ loaded team—with a nearly $400 million payroll—is a detriment to the game of baseball. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t care about the critics.
In fact, Roberts had a sharp message for them after the Dodgers clinched the NLCS with a 5-1 win in Game 4 over the Brewers.
“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Roberts said to the remaining Dodger Stadium crowd after the series sweep. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!”
A year after beating the Yankees in the World Series, the Dodgers experienced ups and downs during the regular season, finishing with 93 wins—four games behind the Brewers, who led all of MLB with 97 wins.
However, the Dodgers have flipped a switch in the postseason. After taking the NLCS in four games, Los Angeles now holds a 9-1 record in the playoffs. The team swept the Reds in the wild-card round and the Brewers in the NLCS, dropping just one game to the Phillies in the NLDS.
With the Dodgers carrying an uber-talented and expensive roster, many have questioned whether the team they have built is unfair to the rest of the league. For comparison, Milwaukee ranked 22nd in payroll this year before being steamrolled by the Dodgers.
Ahead of Game 4, Roberts was asked about the idea that the Dodgers are “buying championships.”
“We’re in a big market, we’re expected to win,” Roberts said. “I can’t speak to revenue we’re bringing but our ownership puts a big chunk into players and that’s the way it should be—trying to be a competitor.”
The Dodgers have certainly been competitive and are now just four wins away from their third World Series appearance in the last five years.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/18/sports/dave-roberts-dodgers-ready-to-really-ruin-baseball-in-clapback-at-haters/