With the Dodgers committing nearly $1 billion to sign Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year and this offseason getting more stars like Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, plus extending key players like Tommy Edman, many critics have argued that Los Angeles is making it impossible for smaller-market teams to compete.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred defends the Los Angeles Dodgers' major offseason investments, rejecting criticism regarding MLB's competitive balance. The Los Angeles Dodgers have sparked intense debate in MLB due to their aggressive offseason investment strategy.

Last offseason saw the Los Angeles Dodgers commit more than $1 billion in salary to free agents, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernández.