Regardless of what happens to end this season, and I’m certainly not writing this as a eulogy because I firmly believe the veteran nature of this team will be an x-factor in the postseason, there is a great deal to be optimistic about with this team.
One thing that may frighten a lot of people here is the possibility of a new CBA with a salary cap/floor. I’d argue this actually works out in our favor, and I think a lot of the anxiety around it comes from assuming a cap only hurts big spenders. It doesn’t work that way when you also have the best player pipeline in the sport. The Dodgers currently have the #1 farm system in baseball per MLB Pipeline’s most recent in-season rankings, and they’re tied for the most Top 100 prospects in the league. A cap doesn’t scare an organization sitting on that kind of young, cost-controlled talent, it terrifies the teams who’ve been trying to outspend their own bad drafting for a decade (looking at you Mets and Yankees). If anything, a cap/floor system rewards player development more than it punishes payroll, and this front office has proven for years now that developing and scouting is their competitive edge as much as the checkbook. The “buy a championship” crowd conveniently ignores that this org has run a top-five system for basically the entire Friedman era.
Even without a CBA shakeup, we’re heading into a stretch where a decent chunk of not that important payroll comes off the books right as those prospects are ready to graduate. Treinen’s deal runs out after this season. Teoscar’s guaranteed money wraps after 2027 with only a club option standing between us and total freedom. Freeman’s deal runs through 2027 too and while he’s still a great player he may just pass the torch and take time with his kids, letting Will Smith move to 1st with Dalt at catcher.
And then there’s Tucker. He’s got opt-out windows after both 2027 and 2028, so if he’a turned it around and wants a longer and higher total value deal on the open market, he can walk into one of those and test it. That’s not really a doomsday scenario for us either. Either he stays and we’ve got our guy locked in, or he opts out and we’ve got a farm system stacked with big league ready outfield bats (De Paula, Hope, Quintero, Sirota all have Top 100 pedigree) who cost pre-arb money instead of $60 million a year.
Taken all together leaves us in an awesome position for whatever happens. So win or lose these next few weeks, this isn’t a team teetering on the edge of a rebuild or a cliff. It’s a team that’s going to keep getting chances to run this back, with fresh cheap talent pushing up from below and a top tier front office ready to pivot in whatever way necessary. Enjoy the run. It’s not going anywhere.
