The charge that the Dodgers are ruining baseball — and doing it with a seemingly bottomless bank account — surged back after they traded for two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Shane Greene says the outrage overlooks an even greater advantage: Once players arrive in Los Angeles, they get better.
“Coming from somebody who’s been in that locker room, they’re doing the opposite of ruining baseball,” Greene said. “They’re actually making it better.”
Greene pitched for the Yankees, Tigers, Braves, Dodgers and Cubs during his 10-year career. His verdict after experiencing five MLB organizations was not simply that LA spends more. The Dodgers identify flaws faster, explain them better and turn information into results.
“The Dodgers do it the best,” Greene said. “They give you the most information, and they translate that information the best.”
Greene joked that he was a Dodger for “20 seconds,” but Los Angeles still identified problems that had apparently followed him for years. Shortly after he arrived in 2021, the organization told him he had been tipping his slider — his best pitch — for three seasons.
After Greene’s first appearance, a staff member approached him in the dining room and placed a phone on the counter. One image showed what Greene did before throwing his changeup. Another revealed the difference in his fastball delivery.
Greene pitched only 8 ⅔ innings across two Dodgers stints, too small a sample to prove those discoveries transformed his results. The benefit was the diagnosis itself: Los Angeles found and clearly demonstrated something his previous teams had missed.
His experience is hardly isolated.
Tyler Anderson arrived in Los Angeles with a 29-38 record and 4.62 career ERA. Dodgers coaches adjusted his changeup grip, helping him finish 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA and earn his first All-Star selection in 2022.
Evan Phillips joined the Dodgers as a waiver claim with a 7.26 career ERA. Los Angeles helped reshape his slider into a sweeper and added a sinker and cutter. Phillips subsequently recorded a 2.21 ERA, 2.76 FIP and 44 saves over 179 innings from 2022 through 2024.
Ryan Brasier arrived after posting a 7.29 ERA with Boston in 2023. The Dodgers encouraged him to add a cutter, and he produced a 0.70 ERA across 39 appearances.
Anthony Banda offers perhaps the closest comparison to Greene. Banda had passed through 11 organizations before assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness changed his slider grip within 24 hours. Hitters subsequently batted .147 against the pitch with a 42.2% whiff rate across two seasons, according to FanGraphs.
The success extends beyond pitching. Max Muncy went from an Athletics castoff to a two-time All-Star and Dodgers postseason home run leader. Justin Turner and Chris Taylor similarly developed from overlooked acquisitions into championship contributors.
The Dodgers’ overwhelming financial power warrants discussion. Reducing their success to payroll, however, ignores an organization that repeatedly makes players better.
Greene offered rival fans a more productive target for their frustration: Don’t blame the Dodgers for doing it well. Ask why their favorite team is not doing it better.
