Dodgers can survive mistakes the Reds simply can't (now we might know why)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been the target of fan angst around Major League Baseball for the past few seasons. That's been especially true of small-market fandoms like the Cincinnati Reds who've watched LA more than double Cincy's payroll by simply signing one marquee free agent.

But Mark Walter, the CEO of Guggenheim Partners — a private financial services firm — and principal owner of the Dodgers, is in some hot water. It may explain why LA has been so successful over the last several seasons, and the fallout could have huge ramifications for the Dodgers organization and Major League Baseball in general.

In case you haven't heard, Walter recently sold the Los Angeles Lakers not even a year after acquiring the iconic franchise. That raised some eyebrows and has thrust him into a spotlight that is getting brighter by the day. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that four of Walter's companies are currently under federal investigation.

It's much too soon to speculate about how all of this will play out, but the allegations themselves are serious. To bring it back to baseball, the financial disparity in the sport is massive. The Dodgers have made a mockery of free agent spending in recent years, and these allegations might explain why the they were able to find so much excess cash to go above and beyond. In addition, it further illustrates MLB's need to improve the competitive balance during the upcoming CBA negotiations.

Regardless of how things play out with Walter and the Dodgers, it's time for MLB to get serious about ridiculous inconsistency throughout the league. While it's true that teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have figured out how to live in the margins and still field a competitive team, they're the outliers.

The new CBA needs to help the Reds compete against teams like the Dodgers

Small-market clubs like the Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates have a horrible time trying to field a competitive team year in and year out. Moreover, fans are always waiting for an organization's top star, like an Elly De La Cruz or a Paul Skenes, to sign a mega-deal once they reach free agency or be traded away before that fateful moment even comes.

That's no way to grow the game, and constantly sets up the front offices of small-market teams to strike while the iron's hot or risk losing a generational talent. But given budgetary constraints, GMs are rarely able to go all in for one season because doing so would mean mortgaging their future by trading away top prospects.

Organizations could always follow the Brewers and Rays model, but is that really best for those fans? The Milwaukee faithful have watched Cy Young Award-winner Corbin Burnes, All-Star closer Josh Hader, Rookie of the Year finalist Caleb Durbin, and frontline starter Freddy Peralta all traded in recent years. Why? Because the Brewers can't afford to pay those players market value.

Furthermore, when a team like the Reds invests in a franchise icon like Joey Votto, those deals oftentimes turn into albatrosses three or four years down the line. Votto deserved every penny of the 10-year, $225 million extension he signed in 2012. But by the end, fans saw his $25 million salary as a hindrance. And frankly, it was.

Then there are those big mistakes that small market teams get stuck with. For the Reds, players like Homer Bailey, Jeimer Candelario, and now Ke'Bryan Hayes are great examples of contracts that bog down club's payroll and keep them from adding in free agency or handing out extensions to deserving players.

The Dodgers, however, can hand Kyle Tucker a four-year, $240 million contract, watch him post the worst numbers of his career, and not miss a beat. Edwin Díaz can ink a three-year, $69 million deal, blow four saves in 11 tries en route to an 11.85 ERA, and LA still leads the NL West by a wide margin.

Tucker and Díaz were the Dodgers' biggest additions this past offseason, and they stink. But LA is still rolling right along. The Dodgers have also received subpar contributions from Mookie Betts, lost both their catchers to the injured list, kept Cy Young-caliber pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell on the IL for most of the year, and shut down Shohei Ohtani from pitching. And yet, they're still the favorites to walk away with the World Series title.

Meanwhile, the Reds lost Hunter Greene for most of the 2026 season, didn't get near the contributions from Eugenio Suárez they were expecting, watched their top three relievers spend extended stints on the IL, and witnessed their leadoff hitter demoted to the minors, all while their top three players (Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and Chase Burns) are making the league minimum.

And as a result, the Reds are in the NL Central basement and staring a rebuild (or at the very least a retool) heading into the 2027 season. In other words, the Dodgers have the resources to survive their best (and most expensive) players enduring difficult circumstances. The Reds have to get every single thing right, and even that might not be enough.

All of this to say, regardless of what happens with Walter and Dodgers moving forward, MLB has some problems to iron out before baseball is played in 2027. Major League Baseball can no longer be about the haves and have-nots.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow