MLB fans vow to boycott the league as LA Dodgers continue to spend with another big-money addition
The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the offseason assembling a superteam and rival fans are furious.
The reigning World Series champions already have the rest of the league in uproar over their payroll but that hasn't stopped them from spending big yet again this week.
The Dodgers have reached a tentative agreement with free-agent closer Kirby Yates, Bob Nightengale reported Tuesday.
The deal, which is reportedly pending a physical, comes just days after the team added former San Diego Padres reliever Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million contract amid a slew of blockbuster, big-money signings.
And rivals fans have been left furious with many claiming the Dodgers' offseason business has rendered Major League Baseball pointless.
'This is embarrassing for the MLB,' one social media user said, reacting to Tuesday's news.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the offseason assembling a superteam
The reigning World Series champions have left rival fans in uproar after spending big
Amid a slew of offseason signings, the Dodgers are reportedly also adding Kirby Yates
'Boycott Major League Baseball,' one furious baseball fan posted on X, formerly known as twitter.
'Yeah… boycott Major League Baseball,' another echoed.
'No one should watch baseball this season honestly. What a waste,' chimed in a fourth.
Others branded the Dodgers' excessive spending as 'disgusting' and 'ridiculous' as they insisted the franchise was singlehandedly ruining the sport.
'The Dodgers spending more money and trying to buy another championship. This league is a joke,' one user claimed.
'Brother. There's just no way. They have genuinely ruined baseball,' another fumed.
'This c**p is ruining the MLB.. There has got to be a damn cap. This is ridiculous,' a third rival supporter added.
And it wasn't just their rivals who were left frustrated as one Dodgers fan posted: 'Baseball is officially broken and I am done. Cheered for Dodgers all my life watching Garvey, Valenzuela, Kershaw, etc, but I am done.'
Many fans called for Major League Baseball to be boycotted after the Dodgers' latest deal
'Being Canadian, cheer for Jays in American league, but can't watch another game. MLB is a farce, most money wins,' they added.
However, some social media users claimed the Dodgers weren't to blame, instead pointing the finger at MLB and commissioner Rob Manfred.
'Not going to blame the Dodgers, MLB and the other 29 owners are to blame,' one claimed.
'Alright Manfred it’s time to step in here and shame on the players for being as soft as ever and joining the super team instead of trying to beat them,' another said, urging the commissioner to take action.
'This is all on Manfred for not stopping the deferrals. Ohtani's deal never should have happened. It opened the floodgates,' another insisted, referring to two-way star Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million contract.
Another chimed in, asking: 'Has anyone asked Manfred’s opinion on the Dodgers situation? Curious if he has a stance.'
The Dodgers already had elite relievers such as Blake Treinen (1.93 ERA in 2024), Brusdar Graterol (2.45 ERA) and converted starter Michael Kopech (2.54 ERA in 24 innings with the team last season).
Some social media users blamed MLB and commissioner Rob Manfred for the spending spree
And with the recent additions of top-end starters such as former San Francisco Giants ace Blake Snell and 23-year-old Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki, not to mention the returns of injured hurlers like Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow, opposing fans' meltdowns are perhaps justified.
Yet, not all of the Dodgers stars were lured with nine- and 10-figure sums. Sasaki, for instance, could only sign for $5 million due to MLB rules limiting teams' bonus-pool money for prospects. Had he waited until he'd accrued six full seasons in Japan and turned 25, as new teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto did last year, Sasaki wouldn't have faced any restrictions on his new deal.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, inked a 12-year, $325 million contract in LA en route to a World Series title in his rookie season.
The team's most notorious contract belongs to Ohtani, who came over from the Los Angeles Angels last season on a back-loaded 10-year, $700 million deal - a pact that continues to bother rival fans.
