The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off a pivotal series between National League powers on Friday night. The Phillies entered the series with wins in five of their first six games. The Dodgers began the year on an eight-game winning streak including six straight wins since Major League Baseball held its official “Opening Day” on March 27.
A series like this could be an early playoff preview. But it also has a chance for each team to get a look during the early parts of the season. Phillies star Bryce Harper was one player who sized up his competition before Friday’s opener and had some surprising comments before his team took on one of its biggest rivals.
Bryce Harper Says “Only Losers” Complain About Dodgers’ Spending
In the final hours of preparing for this weekend’s history, Harper took a shot at the Dodgers’ haters claiming that only losers would complain about their spending habits to complete a roster. According to a report by the Associated Press in February, the Dodgers owe $1.051 billion in deferred money from 2028-46 including $680 million to Shohei Ohtani from 2034 to 2043. It also includes a total of $125.5 million that was deferred in contracts to Teoscar Hernandez, Tanner Scott, Blake Snell and Tommy Edman this offseason.
“I don’t know if people will like this, but I feel like only losers complain about what they’re doing,” Harper said via MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “I think they’re a great team. They’re a great organization.”
Bryce Harper, on how Dodgers spend money and acquire talent, including their pipeline to Japanese stars: “I don’t know if people will like this, but I feel like only losers complain about what they’re doing. I think they’re a great team. They’re a great organization.”
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 4, 2025
The Dodgers’ recent success validates Harper’s comments. Los Angeles has been to the playoffs 12 straight seasons with World Series titles in 2020 and 2024. The Dodgers also appeared in the Fall Classic in back-to-back seasons in the late 2010s, falling to the Houston Astros in seven games in 2017 and the Boston Red Sox in five games in 2018.
It’s also notable that the deferred spending doesn’t break any rules in the current collective bargaining agreement. The MLB Players Union rejected a change that would have stopped deferred money in contracts during negotiations in 2021 and fans of smaller markets have grown frustrated with big markets finding a loophole to avoid the league’s luxury tax.
With teams like the Dodgers and Phillies, who have a combined $711 million in payroll entering this season, don’t have a problem with it, other teams such as the cross-state Pittsburgh Pirates are in a different situation where an elite player like Paul Skenes could jump across the state when he becomes a free agent in 2030.
There’s also a reason why Harper doesn’t have disdain toward a team willing to pay its players. The reason Harper is in Philadelphia is because the Washington Nationals didn’t have the sense to pay up for a player that was deemed a generational talent. The Phillies did and gave Harper a 13-year, $330 million contract before the 2019 season.
If anything, the Dodgers’ spending is part of a flawed sport that treats player acquisition like the wild west with no salary cap or limitations to contracts. It's why Harper (and many other players) may have respect for what Los Angeles is doing and encourage other teams around baseball to do the same.