Dodgers paid to be here.

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The World Series starts Friday in Toronto. When the season started, it was a foregone conclusion the Dodgers would win. After winning it last year, they went on a spending spree in the offseason, buying what seemed like every free agent bat, starting pitcher, and reliever available.

It was an overkill. But you had to admire their desire to win. Isn’t that what every fan wants?

When they won the first eight games of the season, it looked like the Dodgers were in for some magical, record breaking run. Then reality set in. At one point, they even slipped into second place in the West.

Injuries to their starters played a huge role in slowing them down. Their starters are all back. Now they are steamrolling through the playoffs. During the regular season, L.A. was 0-6 against Milwaukee. They swept the Brewers in four games. Convincingly. They were 2-1 against Toronto. But regular season records mean nothing.

The narrative coming into the season was that the Dodgers outrageous spending broke baseball. That it furthered the divide between haves and have-nots. Yet, the Mets almost matched them in spending and didn’t make the playoffs. The next highest payroll that failed to make the playoffs belonged to Texas, at sixth highest.

Spending money doesn’t automatically make you a winner. Not spending it doesn’t help. Just ask Miami, Sacramento, Tampa Bay, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh, and Washington. They were six of the bottom seven in salaries in 2025. Cleveland was the only team month the bottom dwellers to win.

For fans of fairness, or perceived fairness, it seems everyone will be rooting for the Blue Jays. At fifth on the salary list, Toronto spent slightly more than the Rangers, but got so much more out of it. While they certainly weren’t the Little Sisters of the Poor, the didn’t throw money around like a drunken sailor on shore leave.

If they can beat the Dodgers, it will be a small measure of satisfaction for the rest of the teams. Until the offseason, when the Dodgers sign Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman and break baseball all over again.