Giants Boss Says Dodgers Aren’t Bad for Baseball in One Crucial Way

Larry Baer wants nothing more than for the San Francisco Giants to finally catch the Los Angeles Dodgers on the field.

San Francisco Giants president and chief executive officer Larry Baer. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Larry Baer has been with the San Francisco Giants for a long time. That means he hasn’t liked the Los Angeles Dodgers for a long time.

The rivals started their decades-long hatred of one another on the east coast, when the Giants were in New York and the Dodgers were in Brooklyn. Then the Dodgers headed for Los Angeles and the Giants headed for San Francisco.

The rivalry hasn’t changed. But the Dodgers have the upper hand. Los Angeles has won the last two World Series and three since 2020. The Giants are a far cry from the glory days of last decade, when they won three World Series in five seasons.

Baer was the CEO of the team then, just as he is now. He’s not enjoying watching all this success for Los Angeles. But he does see one good thing from it.

Larry Baer on Chasing the Dodgers

Are the #Dodgers good for baseball?

"Having a dragon to slay isn't necessarily a bad thing for the sport." – #Giants CEO Larry Baer. pic.twitter.com/69wzHdkv6Z

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 2, 2026

The sports media world is in the Bay Area this week for Super Bowl LX. Long-time Sports personality Dan Patrick has brought his “Dan Patrick Show” to San Francisco for the week and he had Baer on his program on Monday. Naturally, the conversation got around to the Dodgers, which have become baseball’s new “evil empire.” Evil may not be the worst thing in the world if looked at in the right context, Baer said.

"Having a dragon to slay isn't necessarily a bad thing for the sport," Baer said. "You could say that’s the Dodgers."

Los Angeles is seeking a three-peat in 2026 and has fortified itself with the top free agent slugger in the game in Kyle Tucker. The Dodgers also snagged one of the top free agent relievers in Edwin Díaz. Los Angeles also has a sweetheart revenue sharing deal that it negotiated after it went through bankruptcy more than a decade ago. Los Angeles doesn't have to share nearly as much money as its other big market brethren when it comes to sharing revenue back to smaller market teams.

The Giants have made moves this offseason, but nothing to the extent that Los Angeles has. The giants signed Harrison Bader to a two-year contract to be their starting center fielder. San Francisco also signed Luis Arráez to a one-year deal to be their starting second baseman. The Giants also added Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle to their starting rotation.

Is it enough to catch the Dodgers? Baer hopes so.

"We want to beat the Dodgers, and we want to be at the top of the division," Baer said. "And one day, we want to be the dragon to slay."