World Series 2025: Five talking points as Los Angeles Dodgers face Toronto Blue Jays

The Dodgers are hot favourites to win this series, not least because according to USA Today,, external their opening day payroll this season was $321m (£249m), dwarfing all but the New York Mets ($323m).

That figure would be even higher if Ohtani were not deferring all but $2m of his $70m annual salary – and that deferred $68m is more than the entire wage bill of the lowest team on that list, the Miami Marlins ($67m).

“Before the season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” bullish manager Dave Roberts said after they reached the World Series. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.”

However, a comfortable Dodgers win might strengthen the case for a salary cap – something MLB does not have, unlike the rest of the ‘Big Four’ US sports (American football, basketball and ice hockey).

The players’ union, naturally, bitterly opposes a cap. MLB and the team owners, naturally, would like one. Even the Yankees ownership have questioned how other teams can compete, external given the Dodgers’ spending.

And with the current collective bargaining agreement between owners and players due to expire in December 2026, the two sides seem as far apart as ever.

Last time around, a rancorous three-month lockout delayed the start of the 2022 season, and there is already speculation over whether the start of the 2027 campaign could be affected by a lockout or even a strike.