Dodgers' house of cards appears to be collapsing as Braves wait for next shoe to drop

Aside from long-standing division rivalries like the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, the Atlanta Braves' biggest nemesis in the National League has been the Los Angeles Dodgers. There have been so many big moments and tight postseason series between the two teams, including the 2021 NLCS, which will forever be in Braves lore, that it would be impossible to say anything else about the two squads.

Despite the similarities, the two organizations operate very differently and are certainly viewed by the world at large in different lights. The Braves will spend, to be sure, but they also tend to be pretty cautious when it comes to trades and free agency while doubling down on their talent pipeline from the minor leagues. The Dodgers, while having a strong farm system on paper, tend to throw crazy amounts of money and/or prospects at their roster problems with blockbuster trades and big-ticket signings thanks in large part to apparently having their own money-printing press.

However, there is a chance that much of the Dodgers' resource advantage may have been gained through unscrupulous means. In fact, if the allegations against the Dodgers and owner Mark Walter are true, Braves fans may end up being thrilled that Atlanta operates the way that the team does.

Wild accusations regarding the Dodgers' finances threaten to completely upset the MLB hierarchy

Before we go any further, it is critically important to remember that these are only allegations and accusations that have not been proven in a court of law. All we know with certainty is that federal authorities seem to be looking very closely at Walter's finances, and the Dodgers owner has suddenly been selling off other sports assets. No guilt should be presumed until more information comes to light and the investigation concludes.

However, IF these allegations are accurate, they are absolutely damning and could have wide-reaching repercussions. The exact details of what is being alleged are incredibly complicated, but a very, very basic explanation of this situation are as follows: Walter owns a lucrative insurance company and is currently being accused of using funds from said insurance company (which usually have to be preserved to pay out insurance claims) to guarantee financing to Sportsnet LA (which he also owns) as well as other business assets.

In turn, that has allowed Sportsnet to give the Walter-owned Dodgers arguably the best TV deal in the league, if not all of sports. More than that, though, is the debt Sportsnet owes to said insurance company being used to essentially allow the Dodgers to keep more of their TV revenue than they would normally be allowed to.

Yes, this practice is likely to have been extremely illegal if proven and would've required a certain amount of fraud and several other financial crimes to have transpired. The impact on the team's finances would also be staggering, as it would have benefited LA greatly with revenue sharing and how their deferred contracts are being guaranteed, in addition to simple cash windfall. One wonders how the Dodgers' current TV deal could even be allowed to exist at all and/or if Walter would be forced to sell the team if the allegations are proven true. Reports that Walter may have sought to end this remarkably lucrative TV deal early just to add extra liquid cash sound even more damning. Why would you willingly end it unless the situation was very dire?

In short, this is a complete and total mess, and it should make Braves fans grateful that the team sticks to the rules when it comes to finances, especially after the international signing scandal turned the spotlight on them.

There is a real chance that LA’s operations undergo a complete overhaul in the wake of this investigation, although the exact breadth remains to be seen. However this ends, one definitely would prefer to be in the Braves' shoes right now than the Dodgers'.

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