Episode Overview

Podcast: Becker Business
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: David Pivnick (McGuireWoods LLP, resident expert on all things Canada, valedictorian, law “Lawyer of the Month” at Becker Private Equity, Blue Jays aficionado)
Date: October 22, 2025
Episode Theme:
A spirited and insightful preview of the 2025 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Scott and David discuss the storylines, pitching matchups, big contracts, payroll imbalances, and the cultural narratives surrounding both teams, with David providing the Blue Jays’ point of view from a Canadian and lifelong fan’s perspective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting Up the World Series Matchup

• [00:00-01:00]
  • Scott Becker welcomes David Pivnick, playfully ribbing him about the significance of the Blue Jays making the World Series.
  • David Pivnick pushes back: “I find it offensive that you would suggest that nobody cares about the Blue Jays. That's just a ridiculous statement... The Blue Jays are beloved across the entire country, Canada, but also all right minded Americans are cheering against the Dodgers who are the new evil empire in the league.” ([00:58])

2. Cultural Context: Blue Jays as Canada’s Team

• [01:00-02:41]
  • David highlights the national and cross-border support for the Blue Jays, referencing their recent playoff run and camaraderie:
    • “It's a fun team, they got a lot of talent, they really seem to like each other.” ([01:40])
  • Personal note: David is traveling to Toronto with his sons and will visit family and attend the World Series games.

3. Dodgers’ Reputation & Spending

• [02:41-04:38]
  • Scott probes the Dodgers’ “evil empire” status and record spending.
  • David gives credit but notes the side effects:
    • “They’ve also convinced players like Shohei to take deals where they're getting paid a massive amount of money, but with significant amounts of deferred payments.” ([03:19])
    • “There's a reason why they're a prohibitive favorite in the World Series. But I think the Jays are a different team than the Brewers who they just crushed in the NLCS.” ([04:17])

4. Team Comparison: Regular Season & Pitching

• [04:38-08:50]
  • Both teams had similar win totals (Dodgers: 93, Blue Jays: 94).
  • Pitching Breakdown:
    • Dodgers:
      • Four “outstanding starting pitchers”: likely Snell, Yamamoto, Ohtani, and Glasnow.
      • “Their bullpen is definitely weaker than their starters. I wouldn't say weak, but it's definitely a softer spot.” ([06:41])
    • Blue Jays:
      • “Number one offense in baseball.”
      • Starters: Likely Gausman (Game 1), rookie Trey Yesovich (Game 2), Shane Bieber & Max Scherzer (Games 3 & 4).
      • “Our bullpen arms, you know, we have a lot of them. I'm not sure there's a lot more I would say about it that we have a lot of them.” ([08:14])
      • Managing bullpen usage will be critical.

5. Payrolls: Money Talks

• [08:50-11:27]
  • Dodgers’ payroll: $394M (#1 in MLB); Blue Jays: $240–250M (#5).
  • Scott: “... if you're spending 400 million and you spend it well, you tend to do pretty well.” ([08:59])
  • David notes the difficulty for small-market teams and the question of salary caps/floors.

6. Small Market Teams & Systemic Imbalances

• [11:27-12:43]
  • Brewers used as example of small-market constraints and difficult decisions (e.g., considering trading their best pitcher due to payroll concerns).
  • David: “I think that's more of a problem, frankly, than the Dodgers. But the Dodgers spending, you know, five times as much as many other teams, you know, also makes it difficult for teams to believe they can truly compete.” ([10:53])

7. Shohei Ohtani: Historic Greatness

• [12:43-14:39]
  • Discussion of Ohtani’s uniqueness and his potential risk of injury as both hitter and pitcher.
  • David on Ohtani:
    • “... probably the best game ever that any baseball player has ever played. Certainly nothing I can think of comes even close to, you know, six shutout innings, ten strikeouts, and three home runs hitting.” ([13:21])
    • “He will go down as one of, if not the best baseball players ever. And I don't think that's hyperbole.” ([13:59])
    • “He is historically great. What he's doing is incredible to watch.” ([14:24])

8. Underdog Narrative

• [14:39-16:03]
  • Scott empathizes with the challenge of competing against the Dodgers’ spending, positionally likening it to poker against a vastly richer opponent.
  • Blue Jays, despite their own high payroll, are framed as underdogs: “I could see where they become ... the fan favorite ... They do become sort of a bit of an underdog.” ([14:53])

Notable Quotes

• [00:58] David Pivnick:
  “I find it offensive that you would suggest that nobody cares about the Blue Jays. That's just a ridiculous statement... The Blue Jays are beloved across the entire country, Canada, but also all right minded Americans are cheering against the Dodgers who are the new evil empire in the league.”

• [03:19] David Pivnick:
  “They’ve also convinced players like Shohei to take deals where they're getting paid a massive amount of money, but with significant amounts of deferred payments. I think Shohei's contract, I don't remember exactly, but I want to say it's like 80 or 90% is deferred payments. I think he'll be getting paid until his great grandchildren's great grandchildren are on this planet.”

• [06:41] David Pivnick:
  “Their bullpen is definitely weaker than their starters. I wouldn't say weak, but it's definitely a softer spot on the team. But the starters are all excellent and tend to go late in the game.”

• [08:14] David Pivnick:
  “Our bullpen arms, you know, we have a lot of them. I'm not sure there's a lot more I would say about it that we have a lot of them.”

• [13:21] David Pivnick:
  “The game last week was probably the best game ever that any baseball player has ever played. Certainly nothing I can think of comes even close to, you know, six shutout innings, ten strikeouts, and three home runs hitting.”

• [13:59] David Pivnick:
  “He will go down as one of, if not the best baseball players ever. And I don't think that's hyperbole.”

• [14:53] Scott Becker:
  “I could see where they become ... the fan favorite ... They do become sort of a bit of an underdog.”

Timeline of Important Segments

• [00:00–01:00] — Blue Jays reach World Series; playful banter
• [02:41–04:38] — Dodgers’ payroll and strategy; “evil empire” context
• [05:37–08:50] — World Series pitching rotations breakdown; bullpen strengths/weaknesses
• [08:50–11:27] — Big league payrolls; economic dynamics
• [12:43–14:39] — Shohei Ohtani’s historic performance and legacy
• [14:39–16:03] — Underdog narrative, fan allegiances

Tone & Style

• The episode maintains a collegial, witty, and sports-fan tone, with friendly jokes exchanged and a deep-seated passion for the game throughout. David brings statistical depth and historical perspective, while Scott keeps the conversation moving, highlighting big-picture business parallels (“It's like gambling in a cool poker game...”).

Summary Takeaway

A can’t-miss World Series by the numbers, personalities, and narratives: the star-studded Dodgers headline as heavy favorites, but the high-octane, tightly bonded, and nationally adored Blue Jays loom as a worthy underdog, spurred on by Shohei Ohtani’s otherworldly talent and the ever-present debate over baseball’s financial divide.
Whether you’re rooting for tradition, talent, or the triumph of “Canada’s team,” this conversation sets the scene for one of the most compelling Fall Classics in recent memory.