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By Nelson Espinal
Contributing Sports Reporter
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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts responded to the suggestion that he is a "villain" after making his controversial "let's ruin baseball" remarks once the NLCS was clinched.
After the Game 4 victory, the Dodgers officially earned a spot in the World Series, one step away from defending their 2024 title.
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The celebrations got underway straight away after Roki Sasaki got the last out of the game, and Roberts made a resounding statement when interviewed by the TBS broadcast upon raising the National League pennant.
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“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” Roberts said on the broadcast.
“Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!”
These remarks ring especially loudly given the ongoing narrative surrounding the Dodgers, who sport an estimated $417 million MLB Tax Payroll, $75 million more than the second-highest, the New York Mets.
This massive payroll disparity has led people around the league to believe that the Dodgers' spending, given how much higher it is than everyone else's, is affecting competitiveness.
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Roberts, though, does not buy the narrative, and he hopes that he is not viewed as the bad guy around baseball.
"I don't feel like I'm the villain. I was just poking fun at some people that said that the Dodgers were ruining baseball. Clearly, I don't believe that. I think that baseball is in a great place right now," Roberts said in the lead-up to the World Series.
"Very great players, very exciting. Viewership is up. This is going to be a great World Series. So I was just having a little fun with people that said that about the Dodgers, but I hope I'm not the villain."
In reality, payroll does not win games itself; an entire organization does. The Dodgers are known for their analytics-heavy approach, developing plenty of major leaguers through their farm system and through international scouting.
While money does make the job easier in certain respects, there is still a ton of work to ensure the right people are in place throughout the franchise to build a strong roster.
Additionally, the Mets, who sport the second-highest payroll in baseball, did not even make the playoffs, illustrating that more money does not necessarily guarantee success.
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