MLB's Manfred: Blame system, not Dodgers for payroll disparity - ESPN

PHOENIX, Ariz. — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday called payroll disparity a principal concern throughout the industry but would not necessarily commit to a salary cap as a central point of negotiations leading up to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have stoked concerns about payroll disparity with their spending over the past two offseasons, during which they signed five players to nine-figure contracts — Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Will Smith and Tyler Glasnow, the latter two by virtue of extensions.

Speaking during a spring training media event, Manfred reiterated prior comments while saying the Dodgers have «gone out and done everything possible, always within the rules that currently exist, to put the best possible team on the field, and I think that's great for the game.» But he acknowledged that fans and owners have expressed concern about their ability to blow other teams away monetarily.

The Dodgers' competitive balance tax payroll is currently estimated at about $392 million, well beyond the highest threshold, according to Spotrac. Only the New York Mets, a distant second at roughly $321 million, have even cracked $300 million. And while offseason spending has reached $4.6 billion, the Dodgers and Mets have accounted for nearly a quarter of that total. Eight teams, meanwhile, spent $50 million or less this winter.

«Disparity should be, it certainly is, at the top of my list of concerns about what's occurring in the sport,» Manfred said. «When I say I can't be critical of the Dodgers — they're doing what the system allows. If I'm going to be critical of somebody, it's not going to be the Dodgers. It's going to be the