Following the signing of three-time All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, the Los Angeles Dodgers have proven that they are still the team to beat not just on the field, but off it. 

The Dodgers entered the Winter Meetings without many holes in the roster. Really, the only needs for improvement were in the bullpen — namely late inning relief — and the outfield. By signing Diaz, they addressed the former with baseball’s best closer. 

The acquisition of Diaz has put the baseball world on notice, and former MLB executive Jim Bowden recently wrote about its significance. 

“The Los Angeles Dodgers should change their name to the World Dodgers because that’s what they are now — a team with a worldwide following,” Bowden wrote in The Athletic. “They are now in a completely different category from other large-market teams such as the Yankees, Mets, Phillies and Red Sox. They are now in a market of their own called the “Massive Market.” Their CBT tax alone this year will be higher than 16 teams’ entire payrolls. At this moment, they are arguably the most successful sports franchise in history.” 

The Dodgers possess the largest payroll in Major League Baseball at nearly $246 million. Last season, they had 17-former All-Stars take the field, and now Diaz is among them. 

“They also have one of the smartest baseball executives on the planet leading them in Andrew Friedman,” Bowden added. “Signing the league’s best closer, Díaz, plugged the team’s biggest hole. That done, now he’ll focus on a corner outfielder to put his dynasty of a team on track to be the favorite for a three-peat.” 

“The Dodgers are winning because they make smart decisions from top to bottom, and they are helped by having more financial resources than any other team — and they aren’t afraid to spend them.” 

For Bowden — who previously served in senior vice president and general manager roles for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals — there is a belief that if Diaz does not work out, it will not matter because the organization possesses the capital to brush it off. 

“Last year, the Dodgers committed $72 million over four years to Tanner Scott as the closer. It didn’t work, so now they have dropped another $69 million for Díaz. If they make a mistake — which they rarely do — they can quickly cover it up with the checkbook because they are the only member of the Massive Market.” 

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