Dodgers' Slide Complicates MLB Owners' Salary Cap Push

The Los Angeles Dodgers have weakened considerably, even after acquiring two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal — and the slide carries implications across Major League Baseball.

The club has lost eight of its last nine games and 15 of its last 24, including three straight series losses, a streak not seen since September 2025. A 14-game lead in the National League West from early July has been cut nearly in half, to 7.5 games. Over the last 42 games — a quarter of the 2026 regular season — the team is 21-21.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani has not pitched in more than a month, a absence that has contributed to the team's struggles.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the need for change. "We have to make adjustments," Roberts said. "I think, for me, that's sort of what I see as a group. We're just not making adjustments."

The Dodgers' previous dominance and high spending had amplified concerns embedded in labor proposals from MLB owners, who are seeking a hard salary cap and significant rollbacks to the league's reserve system.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said last month the game needs to address competitive balance. "It defies human experience to ask a fan to think that the bottom end of that [payroll] gap has the same opportunity to win as the top," Manfred said.

The evidence on the field argues otherwise. The Milwaukee Brewers, operating in MLB's smallest media market, are the top team in the National League. Low-budget teams including the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins are also pushing for playoff spots.

Former MLB star Anthony Rizzo told Front Office Sports last week that the league is more competitive than ever. "I think it's a big bargaining point for Major League Baseball to get out there and say fans want more competitive play, but in my opinion, it's the most competitive the league's ever been," Rizzo said.

Management's argument for a cap centers on winning the World Series, not just making the playoffs. The 2017 Houston Astros — a title tainted by a sign-stealing scandal — were the last World Series winner from a below-average payroll. The 2015 Kansas City Royals were the last small-market franchise to win.

The Dodgers are the league's two-time defending champions. Their current slide weakens the argument that only high payrolls guarantee deep playoff runs.

Roberts is not ready to sound the alarm. "We've still got a really good ballclub," Roberts said. "There's certainly not panic. I think, for us, it's just finding a way to win a game, and [then] win consistently."

The Los Angeles Dodgers have weakened considerably, even after acquiring two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal — and the slide carries implications across Major League Baseball.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani has not pitched in more than a month, a absence that has contributed to the team's struggles.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the need for change. "We have to make adjustments," Roberts said. "I think, for me, that's sort of what I see as a group. We're just not making adjustments."

The Dodgers are the league's two-time defending champions. Their current slide weakens the argument that only high payrolls guarantee deep playoff runs.