Underdog Blue Jays vs. Dodgers’ Mega-Payroll on MLB’s Global Stage

TORONTO — As the 2025 World Series has been billed as a David-versus-Goliath matchup between the financial behemoth Dodgers and the upstart Blue Jays, Toronto superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leaned right in to the supposed mismatch dynamic.

“We all know who won that, right?” Guerrero said. 

The underdog theme could also be applied to Major League Baseball itself as it enters the 2025 World Series, starting Friday, with arguably more momentum than it’s had in years as the league writes its own story of overachievement.

The season to date has featured an extensive series of increases across its core business, including with attendance and on television. MLB is also on the cusp of resolving its long-troublesome issue of the national media rights forfeited by ESPN in February, and an ever-increasing profile in the realm of pop culture. On-field rule changes such as the pitch clock continued to have an outsized impact on the game’s appeal, in turn paving the way for next year’s introduction of the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system. 

After an often-scintillating 2025 postseason that included a series of epic on-field performances, such as Shohei Ohtani in the clinching game of the National League Championship Series, MLB doesn’t have the mega-attraction of the Yankees, last year’s American League champion, in the World Series. The league, though, does have its first truly international World Series since the Blue Jays’ last championship in 1993, and surging viewership in countries such as Canada and Japan. 

Betting odds strongly favor the Dodgers to continue their torrid postseason run and claim MLB’s first back-to-back championship in 25 years. Blue Jays manager John Schneider, however, echoed the sentiments of his first baseman.

“The one thing we cannot do is look over there and say this is Goliath,” he said, referring to the Dodgers and a $416.9 million luxury-tax payroll that is the largest in MLB history. “That is a beatable baseball team that has its flaws, and that has its really, really good strengths. How we expose each of them will determine who wins this series. And I’ve got all the confidence in the world in my guys.”

Under the Surface

For all the feel-good vibes entering the World Series, however, there are still plenty of troubling issues for MLB heading into 2026. 

The league and MLB Players Association will enter collective bargaining next year, in advance of a labor deal expiring next December. The union fears management will pursue a salary cap, tensions have already run high, and payroll disparities continue to grow, sparking widespread concern within the game and among fans. 

The Dodgers’ unprecedented spending in particular is widely cited as something “ruining baseball,” something that manager Dave Roberts referenced directly last week, saying the team should win the World Series to “really ruin baseball.”

For now, though, the World Series begins with Toronto at a fever pitch.

“It means a lot to be here,” Guerrero said of the city. “We do this for the fans, and I feel so good and so happy to be here. We’ve been working really hard to make this happen, and now it’s really happening.”