Money Talks, Dodgers Win: L.A.’s Historic Start Fuels Payroll Debate

It didn’t take long for the defending World Series champion Dodgers to make more history, and the complaints about the club’s outsized might are quickly resurfacing.

The Dodgers’ 3–1 win Tuesday night over the Braves pushed their record to a perfect 7–0, matching the 1933 Yankees for the best start by a club in its World Series defense. Los Angeles is still six wins from equaling the best season start in MLB history, shared by three clubs, but armed with a luxury-tax payroll now at $399 million that is similarly unprecedented, few limits are apparent for the franchise. 

“Still on the table,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts joked about the prospect of an undefeated, 162–0 season. “I’ve still got the under.”

The five straight wins for Los Angeles in the U.S. add to a pair of victories last month over the Cubs in the MLB Tokyo Series. 

Scrutiny over the Dodgers’ spending and aggressive talent acquisition dominated much of MLB’s offseason. Now, nearly a week into the full cadence of the 2025 season, Los Angeles continues to be a focus of attention—including among other MLB owners. 

“Are their baseball people and their owners smarter than all the others? I don’t think so,” Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick said recently. Arizona’s luxury-tax payroll of $216 million ranks 11th in MLB. “The regular season is not necessarily an even playing field, and I think it should be—more even than it is. I believe in those who are brighter than the next guy being more successful than the next guy. But when you see one team with a payroll that is five times their competitor, the chances over time of that team at five times over the less financially supported team, they’re going to win.”

The disparity has already led betting odds and analytics experts to heavily favor the Dodgers to repeat as champions this year.