ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons are planning for a second interview with Bill Belichick after talking with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson for the head coaching vacancy on Thursday.

Belichick made the Falcons his first known interview on Monday since leaving the New England Patriots. Belichick won a record six Super Bowls in his 24 seasons with New England. He will be the first candidate to have a second interview with Atlanta.

The team has not disclosed details of the second meeting with Belichick, 71.

The Falcons are looking for a successor to Arthur Smith, who was fired after his third straight 7-10 finish.

Including the playoffs, Belichick has 333 victories, second all time to Hall of Famer Don Shula’s 347. He led the Patriots to 17 division titles.

The plans for a second meeting between the Falcons and Belichick indicates an agreement on Belichick’s possible role in player personnel decisions should he accept the job. Belichick had control of player personnel with New England.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay are leading the coach search. Blank said recently general manager Terry Fontenot would continue to be in charge of personnel decisions while the new coach and Fontenot would report to McKay.

Johnson was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator for the 2023 season. He joined the Eagles staff in 2021.

Johnson is the second offensive coordinator to interview with Atlanta, following Cincinnati’s Brian Callahan.

The Falcons interviewed Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Tuesday.

The Falcons said Thursday the interview with Johnson was held virtually. The Eagles’ season ended with their 32-9 loss to Tampa Bay in an NFC wild-card game on Monday. All interviews with employees of other teams must be held virtually before the end of the divisional playoffs on Sunday.

Before joining the Eagles’ staff, Johnson worked as a college coach for 10 years, including three years at Florida from 2018-20. He was the Gators’ offensive coordinator in 2020.

Johnson is the eighth coach to be interviewed by the Falcons.

Other candidates to interview virtually with Atlanta: Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.

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(CNN) — Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died Wednesday morning after suffering a heart attack, according to the team. He was 46.

Milojević was hired by the Warriors in 2021 and was in his third season as part of head coach Steve Kerr’s coaching staff.

The Warriors said Milojević suffered the heart attack at a private team dinner on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. He was then transported to a local hospital but passed away Wednesday “despite life-saving efforts,” according to the team.

“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” said Kerr in a statement.

“This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.

“In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy.

“We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement paying tribute to Milojević, calling him “a beloved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community” and offering condolences to his family and the Warriors.

The NBA postponed Wednesday’s game between the Warriors and the Utah Jazz and Friday’s game between Golden State and the Dallas Mavericks after Milojević’s sudden passing, with the rescheduled date to be announced “at a later time,” according to the league.

‘A great ambassador to the game’

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković took time to pay tribute to Milojević Wednesday, dedicating his team’s win over the Miami Heat to his compatriot.

“A lot of NBA players went through his hands and his influence,” Rajaković, who is also from Serbia, said.

“As a head coach he helped a lot of people to make the next step in their career. The last time we were together he was talking about Serbian national team and his dream of one day being a head coach of the Serbian national team.

“And we were talking about plans and all of that, and unfortunately, he’s not with us anymore to share dreams and goals,” he added.

Andre Iguodala, who won four NBA championships with the Warriors, called Milojević an “Amazing HUMAN BEING!” on X (formerly known as Twitter), while New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said, “He was a great ambassador to the game.”

Ahead of their game with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers took time to honor Milojević with a moment of silence, with players bowing their heads and a picture of the coach displayed on the arena’s big screen.

Milojević was the head coach of Budućnost VOLI in Montenegro before joining the Warriors.

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MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Moments after her Grand Slam comeback ended in a first-round loss, Naomi Osaka walked back through the players’ tunnel where her name has a prominent place among recent Australian Open champions.

Three matches into her return from 15 months off the tour, and six months after the birth of her daughter, Shai, Osaka lost 6-4, 7-6 (2) to 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia in a tight encounter at Rod Laver Arena on Monday night.

“The competitive in me is really frustrated that I’m not winning these matches, of course,” Osaka told a post-match news conference. “So I wouldn’t say, like, this comeback is how I thought because I’m delusional enough to think I could have won the tournament.”

She smiled, before adding: “I think my delusion is what allows me to win the tournaments.”

Osaka won the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian title in 2019 and ’21. This was the first time she lost in the first round in Melbourne, where she made her debut in 2016.

She took time out from tennis for her own wellbeing after first-round exits at the French Open and U.S. Open in 2022. She’s not planning any more breaks for now.

“Yeah, I think I just have to keep living day by day and training hard and playing a lot more matches,” she said. “And hopefully my dreams will come true.”

The big-serving Garcia didn’t give Osaka a look at a breakpoint in the match. Most of the rallies were short — only three longer than nine shots. The bulk were less than four. Most of the service holds were comfortable — except for Osaka’s one dropped game in the first set. That was all the difference.

“I have a lot of respect for Naomi as a person and as a player — 15 months she’s been away,” Garcia said. “I’m very glad to see her back. Six months after giving birth, she’s playing quite amazing already. We have to watch out.”

Osaka was one of three past Australian Open champions who returned to play at Melbourne Park for the first time as moms, joining 2016 winner Angelique Kerber and 2018 champion Caroline Wozniacki.

The Australian Open started Sunday and will be played over 15 days for the first time, with the first round spread over three days in a bid to cut down on the late-finishing matches.

Still, it was 1:39 a.m. local time by the time Felix Auger-Aliassime closed out a 4-hour, 59-minute win over 2020 U.S. Open winner Dominic Thiem that finished 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-3. That match was briefly held up in the fourth set by a bird landing on the court at Margaret Court Arena and having to be chased off by a ball kid to laughter from the crowd. It then flew around the stadium briefly before play could continue.

For Auger-Aliassime, the win ended a run of first-round exits at three consecutive majors.

In the opening match on Rod Laver, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff needed just 60 minutes to advance 6-3, 6-0 over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

The 19-year-old Gauff, who won her first major at the U.S. Open in September, said she had increased confidence in her serve thanks to some advice from Andy Roddick.

Fourth-seeded Gauff dropped just one point on her serve in the second set and credited Roddick, saying “he’s probably one of the best servers in history.”

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova didn’t make it past the first round, losing 6-1, 6-2 to Dayana Yastremska and struggling with a hip injury.

A third 16-year-old reached the second round, with Mirra Andreeva beating 29-year-old Bernarda Pera 7-5, 6-2 to set up a second-round match with sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur, a three-time runner-up at Grand Slams.

Alina Korneeva and Brenda Fruhvirtova, both also 16, advanced after their first Grand Slam main draw wins on Sunday.

“I’m really excited for this,” Andreeva said about playing Jabeur. “I said many times before that she’s the player that I was looking up to. I really like the way she plays. I’m sure it’s going to be a great match.”

Australia’s newest top-10 player, Alex de Minaur, advanced after past Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic retired from their match. De Minaur was leading 6-7 (6), 6-3, 2-0 when the big-serving Canadian retired with an injury.

Third-seeded Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 and 2022 finalist at Melbourne Park, also advanced when his opponent retired from their match.

Medvedev had dropped the first set but was leading 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0 when the 22-year-old Terence Atmane quit because of cramps.

“When I was feeling tired in the third set, I looked up the other end and saw he was cramping,” Medvedev said. “The conditions were fine but it has not been hot these seven days and then it was hot today, so you get more stressed.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, who lost last year’s Australian final to Novak Djokovic, advanced with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 win over Zizou Bergs.

Stan Wawrinka, who won the 2014 Australian title, was beaten 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 by Adrian Mannarino. That left 10-time winner Djokovic as the only Australian champion left in the men’s draw.

Five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray lost to Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 and said it might be the last time he contests the season’s first major.

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(CNN) — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin abruptly left a postgame news conference midway through a question about his contract status following his team’s playoff loss on Monday.

The Steelers lost 31-17 to the Buffalo Bills in the NFL’s Super Wild Card round of the postseason and Tomlin was asked about what his future holds afterwards.

The reporter could be heard saying, “Mike, you have a year left on your contract” before the 51-year-old walked off the podium, effectively ending his press conference.

Tomlin’s contract is due to run out at the end of the 2024 season.

Following Bill Belichick’s departure from the New England Patriots earlier in January, Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL having spent 17 seasons with Pittsburgh.

Although the team’s 2023 campaign was rife with issues – from quarterback problems to defensive injuries – the Steelers finished with a 10-7 record and maintained Tomlin’s NFL record for consecutive non-losing seasons to start a career with 17.

Tomlin has an overall 173-100-2 record as Pittsburgh head coach, with two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory and 11 postseason trips.

When he was hired by Pittsburgh in 2007 at the age of 34, Tomlin became only the third head coach hired by the organization since 1969.

His victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in his second season at the helm meant he became the youngest head coach in NFL history to both coach in and win a Super Bowl, a record that was later eclipsed by Sean McVay in Super Bowl LVI.

Steelers defensive stalwart Cameron Heyward – who also faced questions about his future following the defeat to the Bills – supported Tomlin and said he expects him to be back.

“Every player wouldn’t be anything without Mike T,” the 34-year-old defensive tackle told reporters. “This group would not function to even get to a playoff berth without Mike T. He keeps us accountable from top to bottom. I don’t want to play for any other coach.”

Heyward added: “I’m a year older. You look at this game, and the average is three years. I’ve beat it every time. But coming off some injuries during the season, it was a testament to even get to the playoffs. We battled all year long.

“I don’t really pay attention to what the coaching thing is because I feel like Mike T
is gonna be back. But that’s not my decision. I’m not going to speak for him. I just know the group here, collectively, is a strong group that can win the Super Bowl.”

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Trae Young scored 36 points and his Atlanta Hawks held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 109-99 at State Farm Arena on Monday afternoon. Atlanta almost blew a thirty-five point lead during the second half.

“I think obviously we did a good job in the first half, the attention to detail and the focus we had was huge for us,” Young said. “In the second half, I just think we got too relaxed.”

Speaking of the thirty-five point lead, Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama failed to score a point in the first half. In the second half, he scored 26 points

“Our team has learned they need to throw the passes,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich of Wembanyama’s ability to score near the basket.

Jalen Johnson had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six steals. His game has been rising as of late with stellar performances against the Sixers and Wizards. However, the talk after the game was the lackluster play in the second half of games which results in many blown leads.

“I really think is probably those first five minutes of the half,” Johnson explained. I know a lot of the times you know when we get good lead in the first half, we call a timeout because they go on a run. We got to just cut back on that allowing that to happen.”

Killer Mike performed during the MLK Day festivities at State Farm Arena. Each head coach explained the significance of playing in the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s hometown.

“To be able to play on this day is an incredible honor to be able to celebrate Dr. King,” said Hawks coach Quin Snyder, who said, “obviously the significance of this day in this city is something really good and really good to be part of.”

Popovich added MLK Day is “even more meaningful and appropriate because of the lack of leadership we seem to have in the world right now.”

The Hawks will face the Orlando Magic this Wednesday at 7:30pm.

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(CNN) — The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 26-7 at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, in conditions so cold that Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s mustache froze over.

The temperature at kickoff was -4 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -20 degrees, making it the fourth coldest game in National Football League history, according to the Peacock broadcast.

Pictures of Reid with icicles in his facial hair have since gone viral on social media.

Amid the brutal conditions, the Kansas City offense hit the ground running, marching down the field on the opening drive and capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Rashee Rice. Rice would go on to finish the game with eight receptions for 130 yards.

The Chiefs never looked back, shutting down the Dolphins offense completely.

Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker went 4 for 4 on field goals and running back Isiah Pacheco ran it in for a three-yard rushing touchdown to put the game on ice (literally) in the fourth quarter.

Mahomes finished the game with 262 yards and a touchdown.

Taylor Swift was in attendance and braved the frigid temperatures wearing a #87 Kelce jacket in support of her beau Travis Kelce. Kelce finished the game with seven receptions for 71 yards.

At the end of the game, the temperature was -9 degrees and felt like -28 degrees, according to the broadcast.

Players could be seen huddling by pitch-side heaters and many made the most of heated benches in a bid to keep out the cold.

Mahomes downplayed the weather, saying “it is what it is” when asked about it on the Peacock broadcast after the game.

“We’re in Kansas City, at Arrowhead,” Mahomes said. “We are going to play in some games like this. So, our mentality was to come out here, play football and see what happens.”

Still, Saturday’s conditions are rivaled by the coldest NFL game on record: the December 1967 “Ice Bowl” in Wisconsin, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys amid -13 air temperature and a -48 wind chill, according to the NFL.

Earlier on Saturday, the Houston Texans defeated the Cleveland Browns 45-14.

It was a historic day for rookie Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, who threw for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Stroud’s three touchdown passes tied a rookie record in a playoff game. The 23-year-old former second-overall pick also became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game in NFL history.

The NFL playoffs continue on Sunday with the Green Bay Packers heading to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Matthew Stafford will also make his grand return to the city where he started his NFL career when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Detroit Lions.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers head to a snowy Orchard Park, New York, to take on the Buffalo Bills and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Jalen Johnson had 25 points and 16 rebounds in a huge performance against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Coupled with a key three pointer down the stretch in overtime, the Atlanta Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak, winning 139-132 at State Farm Arena. It was the first win the Hawks had in three tries against the Sixers.

Joel Embiid was held out due to injury. Also, former Tennessee State swingman Robert Covington was held out due to swelling in his ankle.

The Hawks won the first game of a five-game homestand. They’ll return to the court Friday night against the Indiana Pacers.

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HOUSTON (AP) — Michigan’s climb back to the summit of college football ended with its 34-13 win over Washington in the College Football Playoff championship game on Monday night.

Next, the Wolverines and their fans wait and see if Jim Harbaugh stays or goes.

Harbaugh, as he did during the lead-up to the championship, deflected all questions about his future an hour after the game, but decision time is drawing near as NFL franchises begin or consider searching for new coaches.

“I just want to enjoy this. I hope you give me that. Can a guy have that?” Harbaugh said. “Does it always have to be, ‘What’s next, what’s the future?’”

Harbaugh looked into NFL jobs the last two years before deciding to stay at Michigan. It’s possible he won’t this time, especially with the school facing possible NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations and the sign-stealing scandal that hung over the team all season.

There is also the question of what’s left to accomplish at Michigan for the 60-year-old Harbaugh. The “Michigan Man” did what he set out to do when he left the San Francisco 49ers in 2014 to return to Ann Arbor, where his father was an assistant under Bo Schembechler and where he was a star quarterback in the mid-1980s.

Harbaugh took over a proud program humbled under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke and has gone 89-25 over nine years, six with at least 10 wins. His only losing record came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

The last three years mark one of the most dominant periods in the history of the only program to win more than 1,000 games. The Wolverines have gone 40-3, won three straight Big Ten championships, made three consecutive playoff appearances and now are national champions. Harbaugh’s father, Jack, and NFL coach brother John watched his moment of triumph inside NRG Stadium.

Harbaugh did divulge one of his future plans after the game. He said he would make good on his promise to get a tattoo saying “15-0” if the Wolverines had a perfect season.

“I’m going to put it on my shoulder — I don’t know if it’s my left or right yet,” he said. “I’m a right-handed quarterback. I’ll probably get it on my right. And then an ‘M’ that’s a maize and blue ‘M.’ Also that signifies a thousand in Roman numerals. Can’t tell you what that means to us, too, that we reached 1,000 wins this year.”

The Wolverines’ 28 wins over the last two years are the most over back-to-back seasons in program history.

Michigan has said it wants to retain Harbaugh, but the coach put off contract talks, perhaps a sign he wants to entertain NFL offers.

As great a season as it was, the road to 15-0 was bumpy. Harbaugh served a school-imposed, three-game suspension to start the season for the alleged recruiting violations during the pandemic. He also was suspended for the last three regular-season games for violating the Big Ten sportsmanship policy in connection to the sign-stealing scheme blamed on a staffer who resigned during the season.

Harbaugh said the championship victory was glorious.

“We stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent,” Harbaugh said. “It went exactly how we wanted it to go. It went exactly how we wanted it to go.”

Michigan fourth-year defensive end Braiden McGregor said Harbaugh is always helpful and happy for players who decide to pursue an NFL career.

“So I think that’s the same way we should feel about him,” McGregor said before the game. “If that is his decision at the end of the day or he does get a job, happy for him, hopefully he can go win a Super Bowl. But if he comes back, happy that he comes back, let’s try to win another natty.”

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HOUSTON (AP) — Jim Harbaugh raised the championship trophy as gold and white confetti sprayed over his team and “We Are the Champions” blared.

Nine years after he took over at Michigan, Harbaugh delivered on the lofty expectations he brought with him to his beloved alma mater.

Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Harbaugh and the top-ranked Wolverines — undeterred by suspensions and a sign-stealing case that shadowed the program — completed a three-year surge to a national title by beating No. 2 Washington 34-13 Monday night in the College Football Playoff.

“We’re innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. And I’d like to point that out,” Harbaugh said when asked about off-field issues, jumping in to answer a question posed to his players. “And these guys are innocent. And overcome that? It wasn’t that hard because we knew we were innocent.

“(The season) went exactly how we wanted it to go. It went exactly how we wanted it to go.”

The Wolverines (15-0) sealed their first national title since 1997 when Corum, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime against Alabama in the Rose Bowl, blasted in from the 1-yard line with 3:37 left to put Michigan up by 21 and set off another rousing rendition of “The Victors” from the band.

After a third consecutive playoff appearance, Harbaugh won the championship so many expected when he took over a struggling powerhouse in 2015 — despite missing six regular-season games this season while serving two suspensions.

“That man, he’s the reason we’re here today,” Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said of his coach.

And Harbaugh did it with a team his old coach, Bo Schembechler, would have adored. The Wolverines ran for 303 yards against Washington (14-1), and their rugged defense held Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies’ prolific passing game to just one touchdown while intercepting the Heisman Trophy runner-up twice.

“There are more than 100 Michigan men who are on this team,” Harbaugh said. “What they’ve done is amazing. They will forever be known as national champions.”

Penix’s remarkable six-year college career ended with maybe his worst performance of the season. Usually unfazed by pressure, Penix was not nearly as precise against a Michigan defense that took away his signature deep throws.

“That was a spectacular game by our defense,” Harbaugh said.

The Indiana transfer who came back from two knee surgeries and two shoulder injuries was roughed up by the Wolverines, limping at times, stepped on another time.

Asked how he was feeling, Penix said, still undaunted: “Better than I was three years ago.”

Penix finished 27 for 51 for 255 yards and a touchdown as the Huskies had their 21-game winning streak snapped.

“They’ve given me everything they possible can,” coach Kalen DeBoer said of a group of players who went 4-8 just two seasons ago and 25-3 since he took over in 2022.

McCarthy had a modest game, throwing for 140 yards and running for 31. But it was enough for him to improve to 27-1 as a starter for the Wolverines.

Michigan gave Washington a taste of life in the Big Ten, where the Pac-12 champions are heading next season, and the Huskies were up for the grind for a while.

Two long touchdown runs by Donovan Edwards and 229 yards rushing in the first quarter put the Wolverines up 17-3 early in the second and conjured up memories of last year’s historic Georgia blowout of TCU.

Washington stabilized and didn’t allow the Wolverines another point in the first half. After the Huskies stopped Michigan on a fourth-and-2 from the UW 38 with 4:46 left in the second quarter, Penix went to work.

He found Jalen McMillan on a fourth-and-goal with 42 seconds left for a 3-yard touchdown. After being on the verge of getting buried by the Wolverines, the Huskies fans sang along to “Who Let the Dogs Out,” happily down only 17-10 at half.

Will Johnson’s interception of Penix on the first play of the second half gave Michigan another opportunity to open up a two-touchdown lead, but the Huskies forced a field goal by James Turner to make it 20-10.

“Today was a complete, complete team effort,” Corum said.

Michigan nursed a touchdown lead until halfway through the fourth quarter, when it put together a 71-yard drive, capped by Corum’s tackle-breaking 12-yard touchdown that finally gave the Wolverines some room with a 27-13 lead and 7:09 left.

Corum, the engine of the ground-and-pound offense and heart and soul of a team loaded with fourth-, fifth- and even sixth-year players, missed the CFP last year with a knee injury. He was named offensive player of the final national title game in before the College Football Playoff expands from four teams to 12 next season.

“Michigan, this is for you,” Corum told the Wolverines fans.

Michigan seemed to be steaming toward a third consecutive Big Ten championship when in October it was revealed the NCAA was investigating the program for potentially breaking rules that prohibit in-person scouting of opponents and using video equipment to attempt to decode opponents’ play signals.

The scandal turned Connor Stalions, the low-level Michigan recruiting staffer accused of orchestrating the scheme, into a household name and threatened to derail the Wolverines’ season.

The NCAA process will linger well into 2024 and it is unknown what penalties Michigan could face. The Big Ten, though, decided to act quickly and punished Michigan by suspending Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season, including matchups with Penn State and rival Ohio State.

With offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore taking Harbaugh’s place, it became Michigan vs. Everybody and nobody could stop the Wolverines.

Harbaugh returned for the postseason, completed the mission and got to celebrate with his 84-year-old father, Jack — himself a former college football coach — as he accepted the trophy.

Michigan became the first college football program to record 1,000 victories when it beat Maryland in November and won its third national title in January.

“Who has it better than us?” Jack Harbaugh asked the fans during the trophy ceremony. They replied with a boisterous: “Nobody!”

Now the question is whether Harbaugh has coached the team he once quarterbacked for the last time, with the NFL seemingly beckoning again.

Harbaugh said it felt good to no longer be the only coach in the family without a national championship. His father won a Division I-AA title with Western Kentucky and brother John won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens by beating Jim’s San Francisco 49ers 11 years ago.

“I can now sit at the big person’s table in the family,” Harbaugh said.

As for what’s next?

“I just want to enjoy this,” he said. “I hope you give me that. Can I have that? Does it always have to be what’s next, what’s the future?”

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In wake of the most recent Los Angeles Dodgers signing of Outfielder Teoscar Hernández for one-year/$23.5 million dollars, baseball fans continue the conversation on whether the MLB needs a salary cap. The answer is no.  

Many fans are upset that teams like the Dodgers can spend big money to get the best players who will likely become hall of famers, but what separates these teams? The need to win. Major League Baseball team owners show how much they want to win every season based on how much they are willing to spend on the best players.  

Out of the top-10 highest payrolls in the MLB in 2023, 6 of the 10 teams were in the postseason competing to win a World Series.  

The Texas Rangers, the reigning World Series champions, had the fourth highest payroll in the MLB spending$251,332,754. Big spending worked in their favor. Two of their biggest acquisitions in 2022, were Corey Seager who made $35 million in 2023 and Marcus Semien, ($26 million). Seager finished second and Semien third in the AL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani. Seager was the 2023 World Series MVP, won the AL Silver Slugger award for Shortstops and was All-MLB first team. 

The Philadelphia Phillies had the fifth highest payroll with $245,419,295. Despite finishing short of the World Series in 2023 compared to their 2022 season, they still had a solid season. They finished second in the National League East with 90 wins behind the blazing hot Atlanta Braves. The Phillies had 6 players on their roster making over $20 million.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to find themselves in the postseason because they have spent money on the best players like Mookie Betts ($27 million) and Freddie Freeman ($25 million). Both who finished in National League MVP voting behind Roñald Acuna Jr. The Dodgers had the sixth highest payroll with $240,278,296. Yes, they do struggle in the playoffs, however their regular season effort is not to go unnoticed. In 2023, they became the first MLB team with four straight 1oo, or more, win seasons.  

The Houston Astros did struggle this season, however they found themselves in the postseason for the seventh year in a row after spending $237,107,748, ranking seventh in the highest payrolls. After re-acquiring Justin Verlander ($43,333,333) he made up 18.86% of their payroll. They had two players in the MVP conversation, one of those players being Alex Bregman ($30,500,000) who made up 12.86% of the Astros payroll. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are still trying to find their way back to being World Series Champions since winning back-to-back World Series in ‘92 and ‘93. They ranked ninth after spending $214,630,885. 

Lastly, the Atlanta Braves spent the least out of these teams, ranking tenth as they spent $206,239,131. The Braves went into the postseason as the best team in baseball. They crushed their division and crushed MLB records, but they were bounced out after losing to the Phillies 3 games t0 1 in the NLDS. 

Dumping a bag of cash on all the best MLB players will not earn a team a World Series, ask the Dodgers. However, big spending gives a team a better chance of getting their foot in the door to make it to the postseason and when postseason baseball rolls around anything can happen.  

Nonetheless, if more owners spend big, competing with other front offices, the discussion for a salary cap would not exist.  

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