MLB commissioner Rob Manfred pushed back against the notion are breaking baseball and making the sport worse

"I don't agree with that. The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization. Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules," he said Thursday, per The Athletic's Evan Drellich. "They're trying to give their fans the best possible product. Those are all positives. I recognize, however, and my email certainly reflects it: there are fans in other markets who are concerned about their team's ability to compete, and we always have to be concerned when our fans are concerned about something. But pinning it on the Dodgers, not in that camp.

The Dodgers have drawn the ire of a lot of fans for refusing to rest on their laurels in the wake of their World Series triumph. Their payroll is on track to be $375 million, per FanGraphs, after they signed 2023 Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki and 2024 All-Star reliever Tanner Scott among others.

The complaints aren't limited to fans, either.

New York Yankees chairman chairman Hal Steinbrenner lamented in January that "it's difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they're doing." Baltimore Orioles principal owner David Rubenstein asserted the need for a salary cap, a longtime goal for MLB owners across the board.

Dodgers fans and others have pushed back against the criticism to argue the lack of spending from a lot of franchises poses a bigger issue to MLB.

There isn't a compelling reason why the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Athletics and Miami Marlins should run sub-$100 million payrolls. The Guardians are coming off an ALCS appearance, yet relief pitcher Paul Sewald is their one big offseason addition.

In general, this discourse is likely to settle down somewhat once spring training starts.

One problem is that there isn't a whole lot to talk about right now when it comes to baseball. The biggest free-agent moves have happened, and we're more than a month out from Opening Day.

Having actual games to discuss will take some of the focus off the Dodgers.

Fans will also waste no time turning this all around on L.A. if the team has a slow start to the season. The once-bemoaned Goliath on the West Coast would become a regular source of mockery.

The reactions from Steinbrenner and Rubenstein, however, were notable because they hint at some division within the ranks of MLB ownership when they'll eventually need to put on a unified front for negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement.