While Guggenheim Baseball Management made a quick splash after acquiring the Los Angeles Dodgers by completing a blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox that added more than $250 million in salaries, the front office has focused on trimming payroll.
That was a factor in the Dodgers’ refusing to overextend themselves to re-sign Zack Greinke following the 2015 season, though so too was the right-hander’s age. Los Angeles has flexed their financial power when they deemed it necessary to complete a trade.
Or this past offseason, when the club committed $192 million to re-sign Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner.
Thus, the Dodgers find themselves in the familiar position of leading the Majors in Opening Day payroll, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press:
The Los Angeles Dodgers topped the major leagues for the fourth straight opening day but dropped to $225 million, according to a study by The Associated Press.
The Detroit Tigers own the second largest payroll in baseball at $199.75 million, which bumped the New York Yankees out of the top two spots for the first time since 1993.
That total is the Dodgers’ lowest since the 2013 season, which marked the start of their current string of National League West titles. Last year, the Dodgers began the season with a $233.93 million payroll. That later amounted to a $31.8 million luxury-tax bill.
However, that paled in comparison to 2015, when the Dodgers set an MLB record with a $270 million payroll on Opening Day. They were forced to pay $43.7 million in luxury taxes for that season.
Payroll figures to continue headed in a downward trend for the organization, as the likes of Cody Bellinger, Julio Urias and other prospects make their respective arrivals in the Majors.
Clayton Kershaw’s $33 million salary this season is the top mark a third consecutive year. He’s followed by Greinke’s $31.9 million salary.
