The Dodgers amongst many other teams are reportedly targeting Shohei Ohtani, the best MLB player on the planet. The Dodgers would have to spend gobs oof cash in order to get him, but supposedly they are a top suitor, despite Andrew Friedman, Stan Kasten and Mark Walter being the cheapest wealthy men alive. Will the Dodgers break open the bank, the coffers, their purse strings to sign Ohtani? Tom Verducci stopped by the Jim Rome show to discuss. Check out the clip and full audio link below.
I mean Ohtani’s going to be the AL MVP, right?
But I’m sure some knuckleheaded Dodger fans will protest or find something wrong if he’s signed.
You’re probably right, they would complain about the Dodgers spending too much money.
Who knows?
Who cares?
You brought up the subject. Shrugs.
Well, the Dodgers signed another superstar for a ridiculous amount of money. They could not win with two of major league baseball’s premier superstars, Will adding one more finally be enough for a World Series win? Baseball is a team sport, and the Dodgers still have a lot of holes in the lineup and starting rotation, especially with Ohtani not pitching next year, and Buehler, May, Kershaw, and the rookies still big question marks… Buehler and May might not even be ready for opening day. If owners keep raising the bar on contracts, the only real losers will be the fans. I’m sorry, but I don’t care how talented a player is, no player is worth $700M. When will the mad spending spree end? Dodger fans, just wait and see how much it will cost to attend a game, let alone park, next year. Enough of my negativity.
On a positive note, at least Ohtani was open to deferred payments, proving that he is willing to defer (how thoughtful of him) in order for the Dodgers to afford players to help solidify the roster and win the ultimate prize…a World Series.
Shohei cannot carry the team alone… no player can, (Betts and Freeman couldn’t). But if one is to be paid $700M, I would certainly expect him to.
Go Dodgers!
How exactly do fans lose?
By having another superstar to root for?
Is this a weird too much of a good thing spoils the child dynamic?
Like I said, Bluto… the cost of going to a Dodger game is already too expensive for the average fan. The fatter payroll will only force the Dodgers to raise their ticket prices, parking costs, concessions, souvenirs, TV rights/revenue, corporate advertising, etc. The Dodgers aren’t stupid. I hope you realize that they will make sure the cost of signing these players to these behemoth contracts will not come out of their pockets or profits. If we don’t pay directly to the Dodgers, we will end up having to pay higher prices for goods and services provided by these corporate sponsors.
That is all I’m sayin’!
Going to a game is not a right, it’s a privilege.
That said, if costs get too high, then fans won’t attend and prices will come back down. This is how markets work.
Similarly if an Ohtani jersey is priced too high and doesn’t sell, they will lower the price or put it on sale. The way you make money on consumer products is in volume of sales.
Well Bluto, it is a privilege that I will kindly pass on. There are more important things in life. BUT I will still be rooting for the Dodgers.
There are plenty of suckers out there that will sacrifice all, and contribute to the madness. I choose to not be one of them.
Me too!
The only games i go to are when tickets are free, seats are good and parking is included.
Otherwise not worth it
Here’s where you’re wrong Bluto, going to games is a right for fans, because without fans purchasing tickets and attending games owners do not make profit and nobody wins.
Even if fans don’t attend, ticket prices never go down. Do rents go down in Los Angeles? What will happen is prices will continue to go up until only rich people can attend, which is already happening. Owners can still make profit in many ways. Cable TV deals, merchandising, advertising, sponsorships etc.
The game belongs to the fans and always will. With that being said, super excited to see Ohtani play. I can’t call Friedman cheap anymore.
Scott,
I hope for your sake this was a joke.
How is going to games “a right because without purchasing”. THAT’S NOT A RIGHT! That’s like saying In and Out burgers are a right! It’s beyond stupid. But I do wish I could go into In and Out and say “give me a burger for a dollar, it’s my right.”
Real estate prices in Los Angeles don’t go down, because it’s a thriving metropolis with more people needing housing than available housing.
You know where rights are going down? San Francisco.
You know where rights HAVE gone down? Detroit.
You know why? Bad management.
I think you missed my point again Bluto. I’m not talking about price, one dollar versus 200 dollars. I’m talking about fans right to attend.
Yes all fans have a right to attend games and they should be affordable. Guess what pays those insanely high player salaries? Ticket purchases! If no fans attended games guess who wouldn’t make profit anymore….owners! The game belongs to the fans Bluto, simply put.
And no prices do not go down ever. Thats because of bullshit capitalism. Look up end-stage capitalism.
Bad management is capitalism ding dong.
Scott,
This is such a stupid point, I can only think you are trying to be argumentative.
Fans ARE purchasing tickets at the current price point. If fans didn’t attend tickets would and do go down.
Go check out Oakland A ticket prices on primary and secondary markets. Then compare it to the Giants.
Let me know when you realize I’m right.
Overall ticket prices continue to go up.
Average price for ticket in 2006- 22 dollars
Average price for MLB ticket in 2023 – 37 dollars.
I’m sure even the Oakland A’s ticket prices have risen since 15 or 20 years ago.
This is junk capitalism.
Of course ticket prices go up most years, because the ECONOMY IS GROWING most of the time!
We live in the country that drives the world.
Is this some sort of joke? “Junk capitalism” what the fuck is that?
End stage capitalism. Look it up.
OMG. Something we both agree on, Bluto!
Absolutely, “Not on My Dime!”, but it will be fun to be a Dodger baseball fan!
Heh heh, $900 for standing room only on opening day? There is a sucker born everyday, it just ain’t me (or you!)!
Not sure why you had to call them suckers, but at least we agree we wouldn’t spend that amount.
It’s gonna be a long season on LA Dodger Report. We already got the juices flowing.
I think this season will remind me of when the “Showtime Lakers” doubled and tripled their ticket prices during the “Three-peat” years. Loyal fans could no longer afford tickets, as the Hollywood Elite found the Forum to be the chic place to be seen. They were more concerned about being noticed on the jumbo-tron, Kids-Cam, or TV cameras, than the outcome of the game. Big corporate executives bought out droves of tickets that they could give away to their clients (a booming tax write-off, of course). The “real fans” were flushed out of being able to find tickets, let alone being able afford them.
Then, when the Lakers came back down to earth, did the ticket prices come down? NO. But the “privileged” still could afford to lock in their season seats, hoping that the Lakers would once again return to elite status.
Attending Dodgers games will soon be unaffordable, if they aren’t already. Dynamic ticket pricing and then add legalized scalping through on-line ticket re-sellers like StubHub, SeatGeek, etc. $900 for opening day standing room only? Ridiculous! Even watching games on TV has become a challenge, what with MLB selling out to Cable, Apple TV+, YouTube, etc. Will free radio broadcasts be the next to go?
But there still will be some fans (sorry, but I have to call them suckers) who will sacrifice a month (or twos) paycheck to afford a day at the ballpark with their family in the last row of the Top Deck (or standing). I just refuse to feed the frenzy.
I am a Dodger fan, and will continue to root, just not on my dime.
This is great, again except for the “suckers.” I really appreciate this response.
Laker fandom hasn’t diminished in size or in passion. I hate the NBA, but Laker fans are omnipresent in LA and if anyone (I mean ANYONE) still listened or participated in sports radio (both local and a good gauge for fan interest) it’s still Laker heavy.
My point isn’t if the Laker record came “down to Earth” my point is if interest in the Lakers came down. It hasn’t and thus ticket prices haven’t either.
Laker Tickets have turned into an “accessory” for the wealthy…. Like a Gucci Bag, or Ferrari. A status symbol. They no longer are a ticket to a sporting event. It has become “Chic” flaunt the idea that you can afford Laker season tickets, and the normal everyday Laker fan can barely afford to park, let alone buy tickets. The fortunate ones that can afford tickets are the “Stupid” fans I refer to. Until those “stupid” fans stop blindly throwing the owners and players money the cost to attend a game or even view on cable/stream will never come down. Unfortunately, Dodger tickets will soon be the same. We have already seen the trend, it will only get worse.
Go Dodgers!
I guess fundamentally, I fail to see what the real upside to the cost to attend a game going down is.
If this is strictly a populism argument (things should be good for the “people” and “the elite” suck) then whatever. It’s silly.
Ferraris cost more than Fords. People who buy Ferrari’s aren’t suckers, are they?
…. Suckers for buying up high, over priced tickets, “Just Because They Can”, not because they are Real Fans. If they prefer to flaunt their wealth by driving a Ferrari rather than a Ford, so be it. Fancy cars and handbags was just an analogy of what sporting event tickets have become or are becoming. Wealthy fans are Suckers for continuing to contribute to professional athletes’ inflated contracts, and owners outrageous profits.
Go Dodgers!