The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t tender a qualifying offer to relief pitcher Evan Phillips this past week, potentially creating a bidding war with their blood rivals, the San Francisco Giants, for the Salisbury, Maryland, native.
As Around the Foghorn’s Nick San Miguel writes, money could be the deciding issue if the two teams battle for Phillips. That’s a battle those on the San Francisco side see as a likely win for Los Angeles.
“The right-handed reliever is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season in which he had rotator cuff issues and eventually had to have Tommy John surgery. The expectation is that he will be ready to pitch in the big leagues again in the second half of the 2026 season,” San Miguel wrote.
“That is not ideal for a Giants team that needs bullpen help immediately, but it would not be a terrible idea to take a flyer on a guy who has put up some really impressive numbers in the past.
“However, both the Dodgers and Giants have bullpen needs this offseason so they may end up competing for some of the same guys. LA may very well want Phillips back and if they offer him more money than the Giants then it is tough to see him choosing San Francisco.”
There’s a level of hopelessness that surrounds many markets across Major League Baseball in the wake of the Dodgers’ continued winning and big spending. It’s what could lead to a lockout in 2027 if things continue going LAD’s way.
Phillips is a microcosm of a smaller problem, but one that’s relevant anyway. If the Dodgers can outspend every team for every desired player, from Shohei Ohtani at the top to a non-closer relief arm, the sport is designed with built-in advantages for certain big-market franchises.
Despite being in one themselves, the Giants don’t have the organizational stability to go to war with the Dodgers year in and year out. San Francisco will lose that battle every time until they have an ownership group willing to spend on hardware like they do in Los Angeles.