Chris Russo isn’t pleased with the Dodgers’ spending habits.
The ESPN personality, who recently added to his financial success, voiced his concerns after the team signed standout outfielder Kyle Tucker to a staggering four-year, $240 million deal, criticizing the two-time World Series winners.
“It’s awful for baseball,” Russo remarked during a segment on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “How many players can they really sign?… Last year, their payroll was over $500 million, and that includes insurance.”
He recognized that the Dodgers haven’t technically broken any rules—“In theory, they’re just following the guidelines,” he noted—but he believes the framework is ludicrous. “This is getting ridiculous.”
Russo specifically took issue with how the Dodgers utilize deferred compensation to attract talent. This strategy has helped them sign big names like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Blake Snell, and now Tucker during free agency.
“The rules are terrible,” he expressed. “They paid Ohtani all that money, but it’s deferred, so he effectively gets about $10 million a year. This means they can land top-tier players at bargain prices—not fair at all.”
Tucker’s hefty contract included $30 million in deferred payments, contributing to the Dodgers’ total future financial commitments exceeding $1 billion.
“I can’t claim this is beneficial for the sport,” he said. “It may advantage Los Angeles, but it harms baseball overall.”
Last winter, the Dodgers handed the two-time Cy Young recipient $60 million in deferred payments as part of a five-year, $182 million contract.
The previous year, they made headlines by signing Ohtani to a record-setting $700 million deal, which ambitiously paid him just $2 million annually over ten years, with deferrals of $68 million from 2034 to 2043.
According to Spotrac, after the Tucker signing, the Dodgers are projected to owe $413 million in taxes by 2026, $96 million more than the Mets, who are in second place for spending.
