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The budding Dodgers dynasty is “good for baseball,” according to one of its architects.
Clayton Kershaw, who helped guide Los Angeles to three World Series championships during his historic 18-year career, insisted the Dodgers’ sustained run of success only benefits the sport — and compared it to the powerhouse Yankees teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“I think that was the way the Yankees were. When I was growing up, the Yankees were the best team — in the World Series and winning all those,” Kershaw said during a recent appearance on “Literally! With Rob Lowe.” “But I think that’s good for baseball. I really do.
“Having a team that you either love, because that’s your team, or you hate because they keep winning — that’s good for baseball.”
Regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, Kershaw, 37, officially retired following the 2025 season.
The left-hander walked away as an 11-time All-Star, three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, NL MVP, Gold Glove recipient, member of the 3,000-strikeout club and three-time world champion.
He went 11-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 23 regular-season outings last season before getting a key out in relief during Game 3 of the World Series.
Injuries hampered Kershaw in his final years, but he remained an integral part of a Dodgers organization that has not only captured back-to-back World Series titles but appeared in four of the past eight Fall Classics.
Los Angeles’ dominance has been fueled by an aggressive approach to star talent — adding back-to-back NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, former MVPs Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
This offseason has been no different, with the Dodgers signing now-former Mets closer Edwin Diaz.
Their success even prompted commissioner Rob Manfred to tell ESPN that the Dodgers “are probably more profitable on a percentage basis than the old Yankees were, meaning it could be more sustainable, so it is more of a problem.”
With MLB’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire next December, salary-cap talk is expected to move front and center — and the Dodgers’ spending-and-winning machine could be Exhibit A with a potential lockout looming.
Kershaw, however, maintained that the Dodgers’ status as the league’s premier franchise ultimately helps baseball — pointing to their ability to attract Japanese stars and the global attention they got by defeating the Blue Jays in the 2025 World Series.
“You don’t want to be indifferent,” Kershaw said. “I think it’s good to have that. That’s what viewership is. I think this postseason — obviously with our Japan fan base, and being in Canada — it was the highest-watched postseason in a long time. So I think it’s all good for baseball.”
English (US)