The Dodgers may be the sport’s favorite punching bag, but the TV numbers keep telling a different story.
Fox said the network averaged 7,533,000 viewers per NLCS game across Fox and FS1, which was the highest average for an LCS on any network since 2015. Even with the series all but decided, Game 4 still pulled in 6,135,000 viewers. That’s the kind of number that says plenty of people are willing to tune in, no matter how bleak the Dodgers’ odds might look.
That tension sits right at the center of the current “The Dodgers are ruining baseball” line. The phrase has picked up steam during a run in which Los Angeles has won three titles in six years while sitting near the top of the league in payroll. With spending rivaled only by the Mets, the Dodgers have patched holes by adding stars like Tanner Scott, Edwin Diaz, Kyle Tucker, and Freddie Freeman over the last five years.
The team’s spending has become the easy headline, especially for fans in smaller markets who think the sport should be operating under tighter limits. And with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire in December, owners are expected to lean hard on the Dodgers as the poster team for why a salary cap should exist.
But the viewership numbers complicate that argument. People keep watching. Fox’s 2025 coverage of the Dodgers’ World Series win already produced huge numbers, and the 2026 three-peat attempt pushed things even higher, reinforcing how strong the sport is right now.
There’s also another wrinkle: two “small” market clubs are set for the World Series, with the Brewers already in and the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays still in the mix. That only adds to the case that the Dodgers are not dragging the sport down so much as giving it a villain people are eager to see beaten.
In Other News...
Dodgers Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About This Massive Trade Idea
Jim Bowdens latest trade proposal is the kind of idea that gets Dodgers fans talking for all the right and wrong reasons. In his scenario, Los Angeles would send prized prospect Josue De Paula and additional pieces to Washington in exchange for outfielder James Wood and shortstop CJ Abrams, a swap built around two young Nationals stars who both earned All-Star nods last season and still come with multiple years of team control.
It is easy to see why the concept has some appeal on paper, especially with Los Angeles always looking for ways to strengthen a roster already built to contend. But it also feels like the sort of package the Dodgers would be reluctant to part with, and the articles larger point is hard to miss: even if the Nationals would be getting a significant return, this is the kind of blockbuster idea that seems more useful as debate material than as a realistic path for either side. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Could Lose Another Familiar Front Office Voice Soon
The Mariners search for a new manager has taken them well beyond their own dugout, and it could soon reach into the Dodgers front office. Seattle is casting a wide net after Dan Wilsons departure, with former big-league skipper Rocco Baldelli among the names drawing interest while he serves as a special assistant in Los Angeles. Baldellis background makes him a natural fit for a club looking for a manager with experience, especially after spending several seasons running the Twins.
Joe Espada has already interviewed for the opening, and the Mariners had previously looked into Carlos Mendoza before he landed with the Phillies. For the Dodgers, the larger issue is familiar: Baldelli has already been linked to other managerial vacancies since arriving in Los Angeles in 2025, and another successful search elsewhere would only add to the list of voices the organization could lose from its staff. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Will Have Mixed Feelings About This World Series
Even with the World Series now featuring teams far from Chavez Ravine, there is still a familiar Dodgers thread running through it. Jonny DeLuca is with the Rays, Dustin May is on the Brewers, and former Dodgers such as Ryan Pepiot, Gavin Lux and Michael Grove are part of the wider picture too, which means this matchup carries a little extra intrigue for fans who have watched so many of those names come through Los Angeles.
For Dodgers supporters, it is the kind of postseason that can prompt a split reaction. There is obvious pride in seeing former players in the Fall Classic and the possibility that some of them could end up with championship rings, but there is also the strange reality of tracking ex-Dodgers on clubs that stand between Los Angeles and another title run. Mays season with Milwaukee has been uneven across the regular season and into October, adding another layer to a World Series that already feels unusually tied to the Dodgers recent past. [Read more 🡒]