Dodgers Winning Formula Blends Underdog Spirit With Big Dollars

The 2024 World Series champion Dodgers, in many ways, are a classic, big-market and high-dollar team. After all, the franchise boasts MLB’s top attendance, one of its largest local media-rights deals operating in the No. 2 U.S. market, the game’s highest-paid player in Shohei Ohtani, and the No. 5 player payroll this year. 

But club officials are crediting much of their latest title—the Dodgers’ first in a full season since 1988—to still thinking and operating much like an underdog. 

After topping the Yankees in a five-game series that was much more taut than that margin would suggest, key parts of the Dodgers’ success included looking beyond just the record-setting $700 million Ohtani signing last offseason. While that certainly was the team’s headline going into this season, the Dodgers then pursued other numerous player acquisitions and continued to scrap their way to an MLB-leading, 98-win season, even while grappling with injuries and numerous other setbacks.

Once in the World Series, the team then relied heavily on nearly every player on its active roster, including emptying its bullpen across Games 4 and 5. 

“Every good organization is like that, and I think we are one,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said on the Yankee Stadium field, moments after accepting the Commissioner’s Trophy. “It’s not just 26 people [on the active roster], it’s not just the 40-man roster. It’s about everybody throughout the organization. It’s also about the people you add during the year, and we added plenty of significant, big-time contributors, and we’re very proud of that. … We are opportunistic. That’s how we are.”

A championship parade in downtown Los Angeles—something that didn’t happen after the team’s 2020 title due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic—is set for Friday morning and will be supplemented by a ticketed celebration at Dodger Stadium. 

“We’re bringing this home to our fans, our fans in L.A., across the country, in Japan, and around the world,” Kasten said. 

Dodgers fans, meanwhile, powered the team to a new record with Fanatics for the most clinch-related merchandise sold in the first hour after winning, in any sport. 

What’s Next?

Kasten, for his part, refused late Wednesday to look ahead to 2025, insisting the night was about “just celebrating.” But several key initiatives are still ahead for the club. 

The Dodgers could very well be a strong candidate for one of their foremost World Series opponents, Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, who will now become a free agent. Los Angeles is only one of a handful of clubs that could afford him, as he is set to get at least MLB’s second-largest player contract ever.  

After landing both Ohtani and star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto before the 2024 season, the Dodgers also could be a suitor for 22-year-old star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki. It’s not yet certain, though, if he will be posted by his current club, Nippon Professional Baseball’s Chiba Lotte Marines. 

The Dodgers additionally will open the 2025 campaign in Tokyo against the Cubs, with a scheduled, two-game series set to be a major homecoming for Ohtani and Yamamoto, particularly after the former’s unprecedented season with more than 50 home runs and 50 steals. 

Regarding the impact of landing Ohtani in free agency, Kasten said, “I always thought Shohei made a lot of sense for us. We hoped he felt the same way. We didn’t know what was going to happen any more than any of you did. But I think we were the best team for him, and I think he did also. I think he made a really good choice.”