Dodgers’ overlooked – As MLB and the Players Association negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement and salary-cap talk intensifies, Emmet Sheehan and Jack Dreyer argue the Dodgers’ advantage can’t be reduced to payroll alone. They point to the organization’s minor-league inve
The argument gets louder every time salary-cap proposals move to the center of MLB’s negotiations—but for Emmet Sheehan and Jack Dreyer, the most obvious piece keeps getting left out.
Los Angeles Dodgers ownership and payroll are often treated as the whole story in discussions about a “level playing field” for all 30 teams. Critics who focus on the gap between the Dodgers and clubs at the bottom of payroll argue a salary cap is the only solution. Sheehan and Dreyer see something different: they believe the Dodgers will always carry an edge. not because of spending alone. but because of what happens before a player ever reaches the majors.
“Our development system is what gets overlooked,” Sheehan said. He described how the organization spends “how much time and money they put into finding the right people in the minor leagues to make people better.” He said his own draft experience made the impact personal—“When I got drafted. I didn’t realize how lucky I was coming to an organization like this.”.
Sheehan also pushed back on the idea that only the big-budget parts of the Dodgers show up on the field. He said the Dodgers invest in the team “which is awesome,” but added that there are “a lot of guys that contribute way more than people realize, guys stepping up when we’ve had injuries.”
Dreyer, for his part, framed that same process as something you can feel once you’re inside the system. He joined the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent in 2021. made his MLB debut in 2025. and has since become “a reliable relief option.” Dreyer said the Dodgers are especially strong at turning players into versions of themselves they may not yet see.
“One of the things that the Dodgers do better than anybody else,” Dreyer said, “is that as soon as you get into that organization, they’re doing everything they can to develop you to maximize your potential.”
He described arriving with a “long way to go before I had a chance at anything. ” then said the organization kept “fine-tuning. and tweaking. and revamping different things until I got to this point.” Dreyer also emphasized the broader culture of resources around the group: “Every single guy who’s in the Dodger organization is very lucky with all of the resources the Dodgers provide. so I’m very thankful I signed here.”.
The Dodgers’ approach doesn’t just show up in one roster decision—it also connects to a long-running pattern. The organization has a tradition of taking in castoffs from other teams and helping them become productive. and in some cases. elite Major Leaguers. The examples named include Max Muncy and Chris Taylor. along with Will Klein and “countless other examples. ” tied back to scouts and player development resources and staff.
More recently, the argument centers on younger players too. The piece points to farm talent acquired in trades over “the past handful of seasons” that have become “top-100 prospects after joining the Dodgers.”
That’s the seam Sheehan and Dreyer think salary-cap advocates miss. Pro-salary-cap owners, they argue, are either “willfully ignorant or unaware” that Dodgers success comes from more than payroll. Until that changes, the push for a salary cap “will not help them compete with L.A.”
The debate is happening while Major League Baseball and the Players Association work toward a new collective bargaining agreement. Both sides have submitted their opening proposals for a new CBA. but the two sides remain far apart in negotiations—keeping salary-cap discussions at the center of what fans will likely hear next. and what teams will likely fight hardest over.
Los Angeles Dodgers MLB MLBPA collective bargaining agreement salary cap Emmet Sheehan Jack Dreyer player development minor leagues prospects
So basically Dodgers are cheating but with farm kids.
I didn’t even know salary cap talks were happening again. If they’re saying it’s development not payroll, okay but the owners still have money so… it’s still money.
Wait the article says Sheehan and Dreyer joined the Dodgers and then somehow it’s proof the cap is pointless? Like if they got lucky being drafted/undrafted then that’s more about scouting than a cap lol. Dodgers always find good players even when people aren’t paying attention.
This is why I hate baseball economics. They keep saying it’s not the payroll but then every year Dodgers have some “injury replacement” that plays like a superstar, which just means their system is loaded. Meanwhile teams at the bottom probably can’t do all the same minor league stuff, so how is that fair? Not to mention “collective bargaining” sounds like nobody’s gonna fix anything anyway.