Chris Russo is tired of the big-spending Dodgers.
The ESPN personality ripped the two-time defending World Series champions after the franchise signed star outfield Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal, adding to their embarrassment of riches.
“It’s terrible for baseball,” Russo said during an appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show.” “… I mean, how many guys are you going to have them sign? … Their payroll last year with insurance was over $500 million.
“The Dodgers theoretically aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re playing by the rules but the rules have to change. This is getting to be a joke.”
Russo took exception to the Dodgers’ use of deferred compensation, which has helped them bring in talents like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Blake Snell, Tucker and others in free agency.
“The rules stink. They gave Ohtani all that money, but it’s all deferred, so he’s making basically $10 million a year,” Russo said. “That gives them the best player in baseball at an incredibly low price, which means they can do anything they want.”
The massive Tucker deal included $30 million in deferred money, bringing the Dodgers’ total future compensation number well past $1 billion.
“You can’t tell me it’s good for the sport,” he said. “Good for L.A., bad for baseball.”
Last winter, the Dodgers gave Snell $60 million in deferred money as part of a five-year, $182 million contract for the two-time Cy Young winner.
A year before that, the Dodgers infamously signed Ohtani to a record-breaking $700 million deal that gives him just $2 million per year during his decade-long contract, with $68 million each season getting deferred to be paid out between 2034-43.
After the Tucker deal, the Dodgers are now projected to have a tax payroll of $413 million in 2026, according to Spotrac, which puts them $96 million ahead of the Mets, the second-highest spending team.
