Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes responds to Manny Machado, Bryce Harper comments about spending

Coming off an offseason in which the Dodgers spent over $300 million on just two free agents, the two-time defending champions’ luxurious spending has undoubtedly been a topic of conversation and consternation around Major League Baseball.

However, when asked about the Dodgers’ record-setting payroll Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper and the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado were complimentary of the way the Dodgers do business.

“I love it,” Machado told reporters at the team’s facility in Peoria, Ariz. “They figured out a way to do it. … I think every team has the ability to do it. I hope all 30 teams could learn from that.”

Machado spent a half of a season with the Dodgers in 2018 before inking a $300-million contract with the Padres. That same winter, the Dodgers met with Harper, who eventually signed a $330-million contract with the Phillies. Harper shared the same sentiment as Machado when he spoke with reporters in Clearwater, Fla.

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“I love what the Dodgers do, obviously,” Harper said. “They pay the money, they spend the money. I mean, they’re a great team. They run their team like a business, and they run it the right way.”

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes, while speaking with media at Camelback Ranch Sunday, made it clear that his organization isn’t searching for approval from any outside sources.

“We’re not looking externally for validation,” Gomes said. “The validation is winning championships and putting out as good a team as we can each and every year, and all we’re trying to do is get a little bit better each and every season, with the goal of winning championships. [Our] coaching staff, our players I think view it as that. Good, bad or indifferent, the external stuff is something we can’t worry about.”

Gomes also credited Dodgers ownership for providing the financial resources to help the front office continue to bolster its roster each winter.

“[We’ve had] incredible support from ownership,” Gomes said. “We’ve always [been] in the position to address the needs that will help us go out and win another championship, so I think a lot of it is looking at what’s needed in the roster and what’s available. We’ve been in the fortunate position to be able to acquire guys that fit that really well.”

Roki Sasaki throws live BP

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws during a spring training workout on Sunday at Camelback Ranch. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Right-hander Roki Sasaki took the mound in front of hundreds of fans Sunday at Camelback Ranch, throwing live batting practice to teammates Hyeseong Kim and Seby Zavala as he readies himself for his second season with the Dodgers.

The 24-year-old Sasaki threw a smooth 16 pitches, punching out the right-handed hitting Zavala, and inducing a pair of groundballs to shortstop from the lefty Kim.

“I feel healthy,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton. “And also, my mechanics are in a way better spot from last year, so I felt really good in the bullpen and in today’s live BP.”

Sasaki is hoping to add to his pitch mix. He’s been experimenting with a pitch that he describes as a “cutter-slider-ish pitch.”

“I did throw the cutter-slider-ish pitch [today],” Sasaki said. “[I’m] still not really sure what direction I want to take with the cutter-slider, but the feedback from the pitching coaches is that it was very good, so I’d like to take this time during spring training to really hone in on the direction of my cutter-slider.”

Gomes has confidence that Sasaki will see success with a third pitch in 2026.

“He’s fully capable of it,” Gomes said. “We’ve seen a lot of really good [stuff from him], like the sinker, the cutter that he’s throwing… Last year, I don’t think he was ever in a great spot health-wise, really until the end of the year. All of the stuff we’ve seen so far, he’s looked really, really good. I mean, the bullpens have been exceptional. The pitch movements. He’s throwing the cutter, sinker. He’s having an expanded arsenal.”

Injury updates

Just days before opening camp, the Dodgers re-signed Kiké Hernández and Evan Phillips to one-year contracts as they both recover from elbow injuries.

On Sunday, Gomes provided updates on both of their recoveries.

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“Kiké’s progressing well,” Gomes said of Hernández, who had surgery to repair his left elbow in November. “He’s in a place where he should start swinging here pretty soon. We’re going to be really mindful of how we progress to this and making sure that when he comes back, that he’s not only healthy, but he’s healthy and ready to go. So, we’ll kind of check it out week by week.”

On Phillips, who had Tommy John surgery last June, Gomes said: “Same thing. Sometime probably midseason. It all depends on how the build-up goes and if there are any slow-downs or hiccups, depending on once he gets going into the mound progression and the full [Tommy John] stuff, but he’s feeling really good. Throwing looks great. Body looks great, so I think it’s just being mindful and viewing him almost as like a trade-deadline acquisition in some way, shape or form. That’s kind of how we have it in our heads.”

Staff writer Anthony Solorzano contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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