Phillies Superstar's Bold Statement About How Dodgers Build Their Team

The face of the Philadelphia Phillies' franchise recently made a bold statement in regards to the Los Angeles Dodgers' way of building a roster.

Jeremy Trottier | Apr 5, 2025

Aug 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough (86), designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) laugh as they wait for a replay in the first inning at Dodger Stadium. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Phillies

Major League Baseball payroll has been a topic of discussion in recent years for various reasons, with many fans questioning how it is currently implemented and what changes could be made to improve it.

No sport has a perfect method to handling the money side of things, with many taking on a completely different setup.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the center of many of these questions, predominantly due to the methods they have recently utilized to build an extremely talented roster. From large-scale deferrals such as those on superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani's contract to dominating the Japanese pipeline.

When it comes to total payroll allocation, the Dodgers stand at No. 1 on the list with $330,274,444 tied up. However, they are No. 2 in active 26-man cap utilized, behind the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Spotrac.

The immense levels of spending in recent years have been impressive but have also inflated these numbers immensely for the foreseeable future. With the Phillies at the top of the active roster total, one of their most notable players Bryce Harper recently discussed how Los Angeles has been able to build their roster, and his opinion on how it has been done. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com transcribed the quote, which reads as follows:

“I don’t know if people will like this, but I feel like only losers complain about what they’re doing. I think they’re a great team. They’re a great organization," Harper said.

This is an interesting stance from one of the best players in the MLB, and one that may not have been expected by many given the dominance over the market in recent years by a team he is not a part of.

Harper does have a 13-year deal worth $330 million, tied for third in the longest deals across the sport, so his standpoint about the fiscal information of the MLB does most certainly hold weight.

As a now 13-year veteran of the game as well, he has seen an exceptional amount when it comes to new contracts. When he received his, he reset the market with its valuation. Juan Soto did so with the New York Mets with his 15-year, $765 million deal this offseason.

But the Ohtani contract may be the most intriguing, given how much he made (10 years, $700 million), and how much is being deferred. With $68 million of his $70 million AAV being deferred to future years, it is intriguing to see how that is implemented over time.

Ultimately though, Harper has made clear his stance on the situation.

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