Who's The Best Run Team In MLB?

The Los Angeles Dodgers were the villains of the 2024-2025 MLB offseason, acquiring more talent after winning the World Series last season. Though much of that talk has dissipated as Los Angeles sits in third place in their division through the first few weeks of the season.

For all the talk about how the Dodgers have used their financial might to accumulate top players, a new survey from The Athletic of executives within the game shows that it's not just the money that makes the difference. It's everything, from development and facilities to off-field resources.

The survey covered 40 top decision makers in the sport, and, well, the Dodgers came out on top. By a wide margin.

"In some ways it’s hard to pick anyone but the Dodgers, right?" one AL executive said, per the story. "They are operating as well and as consistently across all areas of acquisition and development and performance as any team, I think, in modern history."

And that's what fan discussions about LA frequently miss. A lot more separates the Dodgers from the rest of the league than just spending money.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 02: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with manager Dave Roberts #30 after hitting a home run during the ninth inning to defeat the Atlanta Braves 6-5 at Dodger Stadium on April 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Dodgers Are Dominating On And Off The Field

Another NL general manager praised the current Dodgers for being the result of years and years of planning. 

"They’re a behemoth, but also a behemoth built brick by brick for a long time by Andrew," said the GM. "You don’t just become a behemoth without doing 100 extraordinary things to win all the time, build players’ value and build the team in different ways. Now they have the platform to do seemingly whatever they want."

Other teams though, were frequently credited with doing the most with their limited resources. Tampa Bay came in second, the Milwaukee Brewers third, and Cleveland Guardians fourth. And for good reason, all have built contending teams on limited budgets through quality drafting, development, trades, and targeted acquisitions.

Though of course, those teams could be doing more, if their owners cared enough about winning to spend more of their revenue on payroll.

Still, as the Los Angeles Angels exemplify, there's more to building a successful team than just spending. Spending money on the wrong players can actually hurt your ability to win year-after-year. But the Dodgers' front office has spent money wisely. Freddie Freeman isn't even close to being the highest paid player in the sport, but he's contributed like one. All while Anthony Rendon, making more than Freeman in Anaheim, might be at the end of his once-promising career.

Do more with less, yes. Do more with more, and you become a dynasty.