The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t used to being labeled as the “small-payroll team” in a playoff series, but that’s exactly where they find themselves as they prepare to face the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 World Series.
Well, smaller.
LA has Major League Baseball’s third-highest payroll, so they hardly are the loveable small-market underdogs, but that didn’t stop Dodgers president Stan Kasten from cracking a joke about the Red Sox fielding the highest paid team in baseball.
"Asking us to compete against these high-payroll teams is a little unfair, but we’ll do what we can," Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. "I’m loving that line. I’ve waited so long to use that!" (Dodgers rank 3rd in payroll, Red Sox rank 1st.)
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) October 21, 2018
Boston’s total payroll for the 2018 season comes in at $228,398,860, per Spotrac,while the Dodgers’ payroll checks in at $199,582,045. The San Francisco Giants are between to two World Series participants.
While this is a rarity for Kasten and the Dodgers, make no mistake, LA has invested a lot in a roster that was one win away from a title last season, and returns to the Fall Classic despite having an underwhelming regular season. The midseason acquisition of Manny Machado gave the Dodgers another dangerous bat alongside Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor.
While the high-priced stars — J.D. Martinez, Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Machado — have gotten their teams to this point, the Fall Classic very well could come down to which role players come through in the clutch for their team.
