The acquisition of Kyle Tucker has many baseball fans screaming that the Los Angeles Dodgers have ruined baseball with their robust checkbook.
The Dodgers are favored to "three-peat" for the first time since the Yankees did it from 1998-2000.
While the rest of the baseball world complains, Los Angeles fans are embracing the role as customized "VilLAin" hats, which use the team's interlocking LA logo in the middle, are taking off on the secondary market.
In an office building in New Jersey on Friday, an employee walked in wearing a Dodgers jacket and a "VilLAin" hat.
It's not a new idea. Ten years ago, when the Golden State Warriors brought in Kevin Durant after winning a title, Warriors coach Steve Kerr wore a "Super Villains" shirt, which became a popular item on sites such as etsy.
One etsy seller, who is offering snapback "VilLAin" hats for $40, said the offseason is usually slow, but he sold two in the 9 a.m. ET hour on Friday.
Two other shops on etsy sell unlicensed "VilLAin" hats using New Era hats for $75 and $85.
Leagues would never license the word "Villains" to any of its teams, so it's a good bootleg business.
If the hats are originally bought as Dodgers hats and the words are stitched around the "LA" it falls into a licensing gray area, as it could just be considered customized art, depending on quantity sold. Since the artist bought the original hat, royalties have been paid. That argument can't be made if the artist is taking blank hats and embroidering in the "LA."
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Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.