"LA has got advantages because they got Shohei Ohtani" – Top sportscaster pushes back on Yankees owner's "can't compete" with Dodgers stance

On Tuesday, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner gave his two cents on the way rivals LA Dodgers continue to spend in the offseason. The Dodgers, for their part, haven't held themselves back when it comes to spending in the last two offseasons.

They have signed top free agents like Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on record deals last offseason. This winter, they have signed several more deals to keep the momentum going. Speaking about the Dodgers' spending, Steinbrenner said:

"It's difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kinds of things that they're doing. We'll see if it pays off. They still have to have a season relatively injury-free for it to work out for them.

"It's a long season as you know, and once you get to the postseason anything can happen. We've seen that time and time again."

Steinbrenner’s comments, which highlighted the financial gap between teams and concerns about sustainability, received a pushback from one of sports media’s most outspoken voices.

On ESPN's First Take, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo questioned Steinbrenner’s remarks about the Dodgers' aggressive spending spree as he tried to understand why the owner would frame the Yankees as being unable to keep up with Los Angeles.

"LA's got advantages because they got Ohtani, and a lot of great players from Japan want to play with Ohtani," Russo said (3:15 onwards). "That's why they got the two pitchers — Yamamoto and the young kid they just signed — because they want to play with Ohtani. That's just the way it is. A lot of guys wanted to play with Reggie (Jackson), a lot of guys wanted to play with Mantle, a lot of guys wanted to play with Jeter, and that’s when the Yankees had the advantage.

"This is really about the fact that the Dodgers got Ohtani more than anything else. And I’m actually very surprised that Hal would indicate that we can't compete with the Dodgers. Yankee fans don’t want to hear the word "compete" when it comes to a franchise that’s won 27 championships and plays at Yankee Stadium in New York. They don’t want to hear that nonsense."

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How have the Dodgers spent this offseason?

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers-Press Conference - Source: Imagn

After winning the World Series in 2024, the Dodgers didn't shy away from spending big. They started the offseason by signing two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million, deal followed by re-signing outfielder Teoscar Hernandez on a three-year, $66 million deal.

Then, they signed one of the best relievers available on the market, Tanner Scott, on a four year, $72 million deal. They also signed relief pitcher Kirby Yates (who had a 1.17 ERA in 2024), infielder Hyseong Kim (.304 batting average in Korea) and outfielder Michael Conforto (20 HRs in 2024).

However, their most important signing was Roki Sasaki, an international free agent, who's just 23 and is seen as the best pitcher yet to be tested in majors. Since he was an international free agent, the Dodgers signed him for cheap, awarding him a $6.5 million signing bonus.

Through strategic and key signings, the Dodgers are poised to repeat as champions in 2025. The aforementioned comments from Hal Steinbrenner suggest that no one might be able to compete with them for a while.