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The Los Angeles Dodgers head into the 2026 season looking to win their third consecutive World Series, and once again, add an All-Star to their already 40-man roster.
As a result, many in the baseball world have complained and complained about Los Angeles’s big spending on the open market. But there’s another side to the argument: How do players on other teams feel about the great team the Dodgers and GM Brandon Gomes have been able to put together?
“I love it,” San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado told reporters during spring training when asked about the Dodgers heading into the new year. “I love it. I mean, honestly, I think every team should do it. They found a way to do it, and it’s great for the game.”
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Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres looks on during warmups before the game against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field on Oct. 2, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Bryce Harper shared Machado’s sentiment.
“I love what the Dodgers are doing, honestly,” he said at his team’s facility in Clearwater this week. “They pay money. They spend money. They are 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 whopping $400 million in cap space, though there are teams behind. The New York Mets are second at $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 received huge contracts for their careers. Yes, those contracts were duly earned by both players.
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Los Angeles took the spending to the next level, however, leading a group of baseball fans to say the Dodgers are wasting baseball. The fact that the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, 2026 makes things even more interesting, as an MLB lockout may be in the works with the salary cap debate almost at the center of future negotiations.
However, Machado and Harper’s comments show how happy the players are with the Dodgers spending money. As both said, the Dodgers’ spending is what they want to see because, ultimately, that means their peers are getting paid what they feel they deserve.
At the same time, small-market teams can’t operate the way the Dodgers and big-market teams do. That argument, however, is not one that Machado finds reasonable.
Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies arrives at Citizens Bank Park before Game Two of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photos by Trevor Hayes/MLB)
“I think all teams have the ability to do it,” 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 at a high level of money. But they can sign, they can improve, they can trade. I don’t know, I think most teams can do that in baseball. And they should.”
Gomes was asked about his opinion on those who say the Dodgers are ruining baseball, and as expected, he’s not worried about the noise coming from the outside.
“I don’t care about that at all,” he said, per the California Post. “We’re not looking outside. Validation is winning championships and fielding as good a team as you can year in and year out.”
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 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers’ latest acquisitions were outfielder Kyle Tucker, who signed a four-year, $240 million contract, and Edwin Diaz, who came on board for a three-year, $69 million contract.
Los Angeles defended its title in a thrilling seven-game World Series contest with the Toronto Blue Jays this past season.
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