"Yankees developed Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera" - MLB insider compares Los Angeles Dodgers to Joe Torre's Bronx Bombers

The Los Angeles Dodgers' offseason spending spree has made the NL West team the frontrunners for the World Series later this year, drawing comparisons to the New York Yankees of the late 90s.

Joe Torre's Yankees won three successive World Series titles (1998-2000), the last team to successfully defend the World Series. Dodgers' aggressive business in the offseason has many believe them to be the team to replicate the Yankees' feat.

While the Dodgers' spending prowess has drawn comparison to the Yankees' "Evil Empire," MLB insider Buster Olney made another comparison between the two teams. Olney feels that apart from the lucrative deals, the Dodgers are doing something the Yankees did in their golden days; develop players.

He said in a conversation with "Dodgers Nation" on Saturday (5:00 onwards):

"I think those late '90s Yankees teams are a great comp to what's going on. Not only did the Yankees have a lot of money, but they also developed Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera. And on top of that, you had players, star players, wanting to come to them. When Roger Clemens was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays, he basically threw his no-trade clause and forced his way to the Yankees. Chuck Knoblauch did the same thing.

"That's kind of where the Dodgers are, right? If you are a successful veteran, and you want a chance to win a World Series, what team gives you a better chance in this moment than the Dodgers?"

Derek Jeter was drafted by the Yankees, and so was Andy Pettitte, while Mariano Rivera signed as an amateur free agent. The three stars won five World Series titles together, forming the backbone of the Yankees dynasty.

MLB insider defends Dodgers' deferred contracts

One of the biggest criticisms of the Dodgers from opposition fans has been their tactic of using deferrals for signing high-profile players, most notably Shohei Ohtani, whose $700 million contract has $680 million in deferrals.

However, Buster Olney feels the Dodgers aren't the first team to do this and encouraged more owners to take the route, highlighting the beliefs of former Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos and former San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler.

He said:

"Peter Angelos, the Orioles owner loved to defer salary that was without interest because he knew he could use the money. That's exactly what the Dodgers are doing. Every other team has the opportunity to do that, they should do it. Peter Seidler, the late great owner of the Padres, demonstrated to a lot of other owners, 'Look, it's not only about what your cash flow is, but you use the equity of the franchise.'

"The Padres went from being this small market team to being a place that's probably one of the most popular games to attend. That's because Peter Seidler decided he wanted to build something great."

Buster Olney feels that while the Dodgers have superior financial strength, other owners are not doing enough in the market.