The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the New York Mets in baseball's most expensive series, improving to 14-4 while sending New York to its eighth straight loss. The combined payroll of these teams exceeds $1 billion, yet only the Dodgers are delivering value. Los Angeles dominated with a deep lineup that ranks near the top of MLB in almost every major offensive category despite injuries to Mookie Betts and struggles from Kyle Tucker.

Los Angeles's bottom-third hitters have been particularly impressive, with their Nos. 7, 8, and 9 batters combining for a .935 OPS that leads the majors by 130 points. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are pushing each other to new heights, with Yamamoto allowing no more than two runs in all four starts and Ohtani charged with just one earned run in 18 innings. The Dodgers' bullpen also shows improvement, with Tanner Scott returning to 2023-24 form and allowing just one run in 8⅔ innings.

The Mets, meanwhile, rank 27th in MLB in runs scored per game and desperately need Juan Soto back from injury. Despite a transformative offseason that remade their position player core, New York's offense has cratered without Soto, with Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, and Marcus Semien combining for a 53-71 wRC+ while earning $102.1 million this season.