Once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers struck quickly and decisively. Even after multiple signings this offseason, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes have been aggressive. That aggressive tone continued Sunday with the signing of reliver Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million pact. After his signing, ESPN's Jeff Passan broke down the Dodgers' luxury-tax bill on X, formerly Twitter.
“When Tanner Scott’s deal is made official, the Dodgers’ luxury-tax payroll for 2025 will exceed $375 million,” posted Passan on the social media platform. “That is about $70 million more than the next-highest team, Philadelphia. The Yankees are the only other team with a CBT payroll projected to be over $300 million.”
A payroll of almost $400 million is a mind-blowing number. The money is going to a myriad of stars, from shortstop Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman to more recent signings like bringing back outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and adding Scott to the bullpen. The Dodgers are attempting to a build a team that can withstand any type of injury concerns with overwhelming depth. In a way, that depth was a major reason why they captured the eighth title in franchise history. Will it bring a ninth title back to Dodger Stadium?
Dodgers look to capture back-to-back titles in 2025

From a depth perspective, Los Angeles is certainly covered on the field. In the outfield, they can start a variation of Michael Conforto, Chris Taylor, Andy Pages, Tommy Edman and Hernandez. Infield depth includes Betts, Freeman, Max Muncy, Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, Edman and Taylor. Not to mention the players coming up through the minor league system, including some waiting in the wings at Triple-A. They've also added one of the top starters on the market in Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, who could be the best Japanese pitcher ever when his time in the majors is said and done.
Even if Scott is the last addition the team makes this offseason, it has been a very strong showing for Friedman and the rest of the Dodgers' brass. Their team is hungrier after capturing the title last year, and now they are deeper and arguably more dangerous. Will all of the offseason activity lead to back-to-back World Championships in Tinseltown? It certainly wouldn't be wise to bet against the Dodgers. Especially in 2025.