MLB Fans Call Dodgers' Offseason Spending 'Unfair' After Sasaki, Scott Contracts

The Los Angeles Dodgers are at it again.

After the Dodgers agreed to a deal with starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Sunday they agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract with relief pitcher Tanner Scott.

ESPN's Jeff Passan noted Los Angeles' luxury-tax payroll for the upcoming campaign will exceed $375 million following the latest deal, which is approximately $70 million more than the Philadelphia Phillies. Philadelphia is the second-highest team in the league.

Social media had no shortage of reaction to yet another signing for the National League West club:

The Dodgers won the World Series last season and would have featured no shortage of star power in 2025 even without these additions thanks to the presence of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others.

But they never seem to rest on their laurels and responded this offseason by adding Sasaki, Scott, Blake Snell and Michael Conforto, among others.

The lineup and the pitching staff are loaded, and that's not even factoring in the potential return of Ohtani to the mound after he didn't pitch in 2024 because he was recovering from elbow surgery.

Anything but another dominant season and run toward a second straight World Series title would be a surprise given the overall star power and depth on the roster, and Scott is just the latest addition.

He was an All-Star last season when he split time with the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins. He posted a 1.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 72 innings, which was more of the same after he finished the 2023 season with a 2.31 ERA and 0.99 WHIP.

What's more, he was a weapon against Ohtani when the Dodgers faced him. Scott pitched four scoreless outings in the National League Division Series as a member of the Padres against Los Angeles last season and struck out the superstar all four times they faced each other.

Now Ohtani and the Dodgers don't have to worry about that since the southpaw is on their side.

Los Angeles is geared up for another championship pursuit, and the rest of baseball seems to be in catch-up mode when it comes to both star power and dollar expenditures.