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The Los Angeles Dodgers enter the 2026 season looking to win their third straight World Series, and once again added All-Star players to an already stacked 40-man roster.
As a result, many in the baseball world have grumbled and moaned about the massive spending Los Angeles is making on the open market. But there’s the other side of the argument: How do players on other teams feel about the super team that the Dodgers and GM Brandon Gomes have been able to put together?
“I love it,” San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado told reporters at spring training when asked about the Dodgers heading into the new year. “I love it. I honestly think every team should do it. They’ve figured out a way to do it and it’s f—ing great for the game.”
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Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on October 2, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Bryce Harper shares Machado’s sentiment.
“I love what the Dodgers are doing, honestly,” he said at his team’s Clearwater facility this week. “They pay the money. They spend the money. They’re a great team. They run their team like a business. And they run it the right way.”
The Dodgers enter the 2026 season with a massive $400 million payroll, though there are teams close. The New York Mets are second with a projected $368.3 million, followed by the New York Yankees at $333.25 million.
But the Phillies are fourth on the list ($311.18 million) and the Padres are sixth ($257.84 million), and Machado and Harper have both cashed in on massive contracts during their careers. Of course, these contracts were rightfully earned for both players.
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However, Los Angeles has taken the spending to another level, prompting a group of baseball fans to say the Dodgers are ruining baseball. The fact that the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, 2026 makes things even more interesting as an MLB lockout could be on the way with a salary cap debate almost certainly at the center of future negotiations.
But Machado and Harper’s words show how much the players enjoy the Dodgers spending money. As they both said, the Dodgers’ spending is what they want to see because it ultimately means their peers are being paid the money they feel they’re worth.
At the same time, smaller market teams are not able to spend the way the Dodgers and big market teams do. However, that argument is not one that Machado finds reasonable.
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies arrives at Citizens Bank Park prior to game two of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, October 6, 2025, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Trevor Hayes/MLB Photos)
“I think every team has the ability to do that,” he said. “So I hope all 30 teams can learn from that.”
Harper added, “Every team in baseball has an opportunity to do the same thing. Maybe not in the upper echelon of money. But they can draft, they can develop, they can trade. I don’t know, I think a lot of teams can do that in baseball. And they should.”
Gomes was asked his opinion on those who say the Dodgers are ruining baseball, and as expected, he’s not worried about the outside noise.
“I’m not aware of it at all,” he said, according to the California Post. “We don’t look outside. The validation is winning championships and fielding as good a team as you can every single year.”
Los Angeles Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman holds the trophy during a ceremony after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
The Dodgers’ most recent big acquisitions were outfielder Kyle Tucker, who signed a four-year, $240 million deal, and closer Edwin Diaz, who came aboard a three-year, $69 million contract.
Los Angeles defended their title in a thrilling seven-game World Series matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays this past season.
