Throughout the season the Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with the popular perception that the team is “buying championships.” Los Angeles stockpiled talent in an offseason spending spree that some fans felt was bad for baseball. Manager Dave Roberts defended the organization when the Dodgers’ payroll was brought up prior to Game 4 of the NLCS. But after LA advanced to its second straight World Series, Roberts leaned into the narrative.

“I’ll tell you, before this season started they said, ‘The Dodgers are ruining baseball.’ Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!” Roberts shouted during the team’s Championship Series trophy ceremony, per B/R Walk-Off.

The Dodgers finished off the Milwaukee Brewers with ruthless efficiency. Milwaukee entered Game 4 of the NLCS in an 0-3 hole. With Shohei Ohtani on the mound, the Brewers faced an insurmountable task.

Ohtani’s otherworldly performance proved too much for Milwaukee to overcome. Los Angeles won Game 4, completing a Championship Series sweep of the Brewers. The team with baseball’s best regular season record was trampled by the star-studded squad with the sport’s deepest pockets.

Shohei Ohtani eliminates Brewers with historic NLCS Game 4

If fans weren’t talking about money impacting the World Series previously, they certainly are now that Roberts shoved the issue to the forefront. The Dodgers’ payroll dwarfs the small-market Brewers’ comparatively meager total. LA spends nearly $230 million more than Milwaukee. The difference in payroll itself almost exceeds the luxury tax threshold.

During spring training the Dodgers’ spending was a hot-button issue. However, a seemingly never-ending stream of injuries prevented Los Angeles from reaching its potential in the regular season, muting the controversy.

Then the Dodgers got healthy for the playoffs and their opponents discovered just what all that money bought the team. Los Angeles’ starting rotation has dominated in the postseason. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani combined to allow two runs on nine hits with 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings during the NLCS.

While relief pitching was once LA’s biggest weakness, it’s now a strength. The bullpen has become elite in the playoffs thanks to an embarrassment of riches. Roberts was able to move away from a struggling Tanner Scott in favor of Roki Sasaki in the closer role. The Brewers couldn’t solve the Dodgers’ pitching, as Milwaukee failed to score more than one run in any game during the NLCS.

Now Los Angeles awaits its World Series opponent. Whether the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays advance to the Fall Classic, a Dodgers repeat once again feels inevitable.