You've heard the complaints about the Dodgers' deep pockets—but a wild stat from ESPN's Jeff Passan proves that simply throwing money around doesn't guarantee wins in MLB. In fact, three of the worst teams in baseball right now—the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Houston Astros—all carry top-12 payrolls. Two of them are in the top five. When you look at the combined record of the 12 highest-spending clubs, they sit at 185-179. That's essentially an 82-win average—mediocre at best.

The narrative that big spending equals automatic success has taken a serious hit this season. The Mets and Phillies, both expected to contend, have struggled despite massive payrolls. Meanwhile, the Dodgers continue to be the gold standard, not just for spending wisely, but for building a roster that performs. Yes, they have a huge budget—but so do plenty of other teams. The difference? General manager Andrew Friedman has been exceptional at making sure every big contract delivers value.

This isn't to say spending doesn't matter—it clearly gives you a higher floor. But as the Mets, Phillies, and Red Sox have found out the hard way, it doesn't guarantee a winning record. So before you get upset about the Dodgers' checkbook, remember: it's not how much you spend, it's how you spend it.