Podcast Summary: The Windup – Starkville | Dodgers President Stan Kasten on "Are the Dodgers Ruining Baseball by Winning So Much?"

Podcast: The Windup: A Show About Baseball
Host(s): Jayson Stark & Doug Glanville (The Athletic)
Guest: Stan Kasten (President, Los Angeles Dodgers)
Date: November 12, 2025
Episode Theme:
A candid, wide-ranging interview with Dodgers president Stan Kasten about the team’s World Series win, the ongoing “Are the Dodgers ruining baseball?” debate, international influence, managing a baseball powerhouse, and listener Q&A on pivotal World Series moments and baseball’s integrity in the sports gambling era.

Main Episode Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the ongoing critique of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organizational dominance and the accusations that their winning ways are "ruining baseball." Host Jayson Stark and co-host Doug Glanville engage Stan Kasten on the team’s philosophies, the impact of payroll, international influence (especially from Japan), and broader questions on competitive balance. The episode also features thoughtful listener interaction around World Series moments and baseball’s fight to maintain integrity in the gambling age.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Baseball’s Integrity Amid Sports Gambling Scandals

• Discussion of Cleveland Guardians Pitchers’ Indictment: Jason and Doug open the show reacting to indictments of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz for alleged game-fixing in betting scandals.
• Prop Bet Risks: Both note how prop betting (betting on specific pitch outcomes) introduces direct temptations and tremendous risk for the integrity of the sport.
  • Doug (07:16): “As a teammate…that is hard to stomach as a person…you're just head to the grindstone trying to just win a ball game and just make your best effort. I just think that that is so offensive. As a player, it's not shocking how this stuff swirls around you, but it's just more stunning that you played a couple years with someone that may have done this right?”
• Baseball’s Response: MLB has reduced the maximum bet on individual pitches to $200 and tracks all wagers to spot unusual activity.
  • Jason (14:46): “Every bet is tracked, every one. So if you're a player and you do this...somebody's going to see that now. So the alarm bells are ringing, the sirens are sounding.”

2. Stan Kasten on World Series Victory and “Ruining Baseball” Narrative

On Surviving a “One Bounce” World Series (17:54–24:35)

• Kasten reflects on how close every game felt, admitting even he was bracing for defeat after key moments; credits players’ resilience.
• About the Blue Jays’ heartbreak:
  • Stan (18:24): “I feel for them. I really do...That's a kind of pain no one deserves.”

On Dodgers’ Philosophies, Payroll, and Success (24:35–28:17)

• Kasten dispels the 'buying championships' myth:
  • Stan (25:15): “History demonstrates that's not true, because usually the team with the highest payroll doesn't win the World Series...the only people complaining are losers.” (Bryce Harper quote)
  • Emphasizes depth, farm system, and fundamentals.
• Dodgers as ‘Evil Empire’:
  • Stan (27:09): “If you ruin baseball, I guess you have to be evil, right? ...Even the people who wrote [that] weren't serious about it.”

On Impact of Japanese Stars and International Influence (31:14–35:31)

• The Dodgers have three prominent Japanese players (Ohtani, Yamamoto, Sasaki) but Kasten calls it more “coincidence” than conspiracy.
  • Stan (33:29): “We're not cornering anything. We are very popular in Japan and...the interest and money that flows from that popularity goes to Central Baseball. They own those rights. All teams share.”
• Baseball's Growth: The Dodgers' popularity benefits MLB globally.

On Shohei Ohtani: Talent, Personality, and Batting Cages (35:39–40:26)

• Kasten jokes about Ohtani’s requests (e.g. for a second batting cage), revealing personal stories about pursuing Ohtani for a decade and learning more about Ohtani’s fun, generous personality after the interpreter scandal.
  • Stan (36:33): “Stan, the batting cage is my home.” (Ohtani, dead serious)
  • Emphasizes how rare and powerful it is to have a 50-50 power/speed player who also pitches – something “never seen before.”

On Dave Roberts, Leadership, and Sustained Excellence (40:26–51:20)

• Defending Dave Roberts: 620 career winning %, three World Series, but still overlooked.
  • Stan (41:17): “It’s not easy, okay? ...whatever compliments come Doc's way for the results...he deserves, he's earned.”
• Kasten’s own streak (Mr. October): President of teams with postseason appearances in 25 of last 30 seasons (plus NBA postseasons).
  • Keys: long-term planning, hiring good people, delegation, empowering high-level GMs/execs (John Schuerholz, Mike Rizzo, Andrew Friedman)
  • Contrasts “build from zero” Braves model vs. “win-now, sustain success” Dodgers model. The LA market can do both.
• Modern Front Office Synergy: Integration of analytics AND scouting.

On the Future of the Dodgers (51:30–53:37)

• Roster is stable but will always be “opportunistic.”
• Stan (51:30): “I can't tell you anything for sure except this. The team that you see us have on paper after the winter meetings is not the team that we will line up next October. It will be different.”
• Insists that while the Dodgers have high payroll, spending correlates to their responsibility to fans and to take advantage of their position.

Defining “Ruining Baseball” (53:41)

• Stan: “As long as your definition of ruining baseball is my definition of helping baseball. And I'll agree with you.”

3. Listener Q&A: World Series Moments & “Strange But True” Baseball

World Series Game 3: Nathan Lucas vs. Clayton Kershaw (57:28–63:37)

• Caller Roger asks about Lucas swinging at three balls out of the zone; Doug and Jason break down the at-bat.
  • Doug (61:08): “You got that feeling of 3-2...This is Clayton Kershaw, who's also not giving in. Like, three-two against Kershaw...That's not the same as a rookie…He blurred the line between ball and strike enough to get Lucas to do more than he probably wanted to do.”
  • Both agree: high-stakes pressure, a future Hall-of-Famer on the mound, and the player instinct.

World Series Game 7: Coaching Micro-decisions (63:58–74:01)

• Caller Phil asks about several coaching choices in the pivotal game:
  • Should Isaiah Kiner-Falefa have run through the plate (force play) instead of sliding to possibly win the game?
    • Doug (65:58): “We don’t see a lot of track athletes go through the tape feet first…Even the math says he would not have been safe, but it would be a reminder.”
  • Should Addison Barger have stolen second base to avoid the double play in the 11th?
    • Doug (68:34): “That's the fear, right? ...You make all those calculations in advance and then you kind of commit to it because you don't want to be caught in between.”
  • Why didn’t Dave Roberts use Ohtani to both start and close the game?
    • Jason (71:14): “There was no way Dave Roberts lets him start this game on short rest...and now he's going to come back three hours later? So he can make it into the strange but true feats of all time?”
    • Doug (72:18): “Once he comes to close, he's able to leverage. And then if they tie the game…you have to put him in right field or wherever…It’s risky.”

4. The Dugout – Doug Glanville’s Story: Renewal After Heartbreak (75:30–81:37)

• Doug tells a personal story of being devastated after the 2003 Cubs’ NLCS loss, only to find renewal and perspective traveling to South Africa to teach engineering.
  • Learned about Nelson Mandela, experienced new cultures, connected with students.
  • Discovered importance of disconnecting from baseball, exchanging ideas, and embracing life’s broader lessons.
  • Doug (80:31): “It was just nice to get back to engineering, because my career was kind of ending. I might need a job...just reconnected to some of the disciplines I loved about college and at the same time, open up this whole world of culture.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Stan Kasten, on “buying championships” (25:15):
  “Usually the team with the highest payroll doesn't win the World Series...the only people complaining are losers.” (citing Bryce Harper)
• On international impact and Japanese stars (33:29):
  “We're not cornering anything. We are very popular in Japan...but there's no question that the combination of our profile, our legacy...combined with Shohei's profile was baseball putting its best foot forward.”
• On Shohei Ohtani’s impact and requesting a second batting cage (36:33):
  “Stan, the batting cage is my home.” (Ohtani, to Kasten)
• On sustained winning (42:49):
  “Well, never [missed the playoffs as Dodgers’ president], but you know, who's counting?”
• On team-building philosophies (45:10):
  “You have to have a long term plan and commit to it, and that's the only way you will have sustained long-term success...Here [in LA], we had a fan base that was so dedicated...they deserved a team now and in the future.”
• On blending analytics and scouting (50:01):
  “You need healthy amounts of both. You can't do it just one way.”
• Listener insight (Roger, 57:28):
  “Nobody's talked about the at-bat of Nathan Lucas against Clayton Kershaw...swung at three balls outside the strike zone...The Jays might have won the game.”
• Doug on healing after heartbreak (75:30):
  “I think it was the best thing I could have done. There's just something about resetting...reconnected to some of the disciplines I really loved about college, and at the same time, opened up this whole world of culture.”

Important Timestamps

• Gambling integrity, Clase/Oritz scandal: 05:17–14:46
• Stan Kasten interview begins: 16:56
• “One bounce of the ball” World Series reflection: 18:24–22:38
• Are Dodgers ‘ruining baseball’ via payroll?: 24:35–28:17
• Dodgers’ Japanese influence: 31:14–35:31
• Shohei Ohtani stories: 35:39–40:26
• Dave Roberts and sustained success: 40:26–51:20
• Listener calls/Q&A: 56:22–74:01
• The Dugout—Doug’s renewal story: 75:30–81:37

Final Takeaway

This episode features a transparent look at the Dodgers' approach to team-building and success—the integration of high resources with development and culture—and confronts the critics head-on. Stan Kasten defends the “high payroll” narrative, credits scouting and player development, and reframes the Dodgers’ international role as an asset for baseball’s growth, not a threat. Listener questions offer nuance in breaking down game-changing World Series decisions. The closing story from Doug Glanville threads in the deeply human side of sports loss and renewal.

Tone:
Conversational, frank, rich with baseball wisdom and humor.

Recommended for:
Anyone seeking an inside perspective on baseball’s big questions—winning, competitive balance, international growth, and human moments that shape the game.