A Dodgers World Series Title Would Finally Make Their $3.69 Billion Investment Worth It
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one win away from their first World Series title since 1988. In the last 32 years, the Dodgers have been one of the biggest spenders in the MLB as they attempted to get back to the promised land, but it hasn’t paid off with another championship.
LA spent a total of $3.69 billion in player payroll since its last World Series, and the massive investment might finally be worth it as soon as Tuesday night.
The Dodgers are in the midst of a 32-year World Series drought
The Dodgers have been one of the most successful franchises in baseball over the last three decades, but you wouldn’t know it based on their lack of championship rings.
LA has made the postseason 12 times in the last 17 seasons. They’ve reached the NLCS seven times during that span.
Orel Hershiser was one of the heroes of the 1988 team that brought a World Series to LA, and he recently spoke about how special it would be for the 2020 team to make the Dodgers champions again.
“I think it’s going to be really welcoming to the players, this generation,” Hershiser said Monday. “It’s definitely a generational win for this group of guys and I’m thinking of the Kenley Jansens, the Clayton Kershaws, the Justin Turners, the guys that have been here through all the division titles.”
The Dodgers have spent $3.69 billion since their last title
The Dodgers’ championship drought hasn’t been due to a lack of effort. The franchise has spent $3.69 billion on player payroll since 1988, which is one of the highest figures in the MLB over that span.
Most recently, the Dodgers have given starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw $228 million throughout his career to be a championship-winning ace. Last offseason, they gave Mookie Betts $365 million to send them over the top.
At long last, that longterm $3.69 investment could finally pay off.
The Dodgers are one win away from a championship
The Dodgers have a chance to break their 32-year winless streak on Tuesday night when they meet the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the World Series. Tony Gonsolin gets the start for LA in its most important game in 32 years.
“It’s going to be a culmination of a lot of things because there’s so much buildup with the fan base and with the organization and with the players,” Hershiser said. “Even if it was won in ’17, it would’ve been a long time. I think it’s very hard as far as the playoffs are concerned. In no way was the ’88 Dodger team supposed to win against the mighty Mets and against the Bash Brother Oakland A’s. So sometimes maybe the best team on paper and talent on the field doesn’t always win.”
Can the Dodgers finally break the curse on Tuesday night, or will it be yet another offseason filled with what-ifs?
