Allan Henry-Imagn Images
One thing no one can accuse the Los Angeles Dodgers of being is cheap. In 2025, they had the highest payroll in Major League Baseball at more than $350 million. One of the many players who have benefited from the generosity of the Dodgers’ ownership group is pitcher Clayton Kershaw. He has played his entire MLB career with the Dodgers and they have paid him more than $314 million.
Kershaw, who was added to the Dodgers’ active roster for the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies this week, doesn’t think there are many other baseball teams that are willing to go all-in the way Los Angeles does every year.
Speaking to Chris Rose prior to the playoffs, Clayton Kershaw said, “I’ve said this before, we are so spoiled here. The postseason is supposed to be a foregone conclusion every single year. Doesn’t mean it’s any easier to make it, but we have the talent that we should be there every year. Once you get to October, anything can happen. Ultimately, yes, I think we’ll all be disappointed if we don’t win the last game of the year. But I think 29 other teams should have that mindset. And whether that’s a reality or not, that should be the case. That really should.”
Clayton Kershaw looks at this season as unsuccessful if the Dodgers don’t win it all, but says every team in MLB should have that mindset pic.twitter.com/tN5zRVLAik
— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) October 4, 2025
There are certainly teams that appear to have little to no interest in ever making it to the World Series. (Looking at you, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Miami Marlins.) However, spending money is no guarantee of success. (Looking at you, New York Mets.) That being said, the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays did have the third, fourth, and fifth highest payrolls in baseball, and they made the playoffs. Add in the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres and 7 out of the 10 highest payroll teams in MLB made the postseason this year.
“Maybe that’s their owner’s fault, most likely a lot of them, it is their owner’s fault for not trying,” Kershaw continued. “But at the end of the day, that’s why we play this game. We play a team game. We’re here to take care of our families because this is our job, and we’ve been given a gift to play baseball. But at the end of the day, it’s a team sport. In order to enjoy a team sport, winning is part of it. So I’m super thankful that everybody’s aligned here with the Dodgers. We get to try to do that every year. It’s very special.”