The Dodgers have the finances to make significant acquisitions this offseason, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports. Chairman Mark Walter said the team will be able to spend "if it's there and if it's right for us." However, Walter hinted that the team may hesitate to spend big on pitching, noting that "pitchers break."
While the Dodgers don’t intend to be careless with their money, the luxury tax isn’t going to prevent the team from spending. The team’s payroll will exceed $200MM, and any amount over $178MM will be taxed. The Dodgers have committed more than $193MM to next year's team before accounting for arbitration eligible players, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts.
Who could have foreseen this?
Actually, lots of people did. The Dodgers are in the second-largest media market in the country, they have one of the highest gate numbers in MLB year after year, even in weak seasons, and a loyal fan base. The problem for over a decade was ownership.
I wonder if they’ll pass the Yankees in payroll.
I wonder if that was one of the signs of the apocalypse the Mayans predicted: Yankee payroll now second highest in the league.
Last time they were 2nd in payroll was 1998 behind the Orioles. 2001 was the last time any team was close to them in payroll. In 2001, Yankees had a $109.8 million payroll, Red Sox had a $109.6 million payroll, and Dodgers had a $109.0 million payroll
It’s very possible. Arod’s salary starts to go down (doesnt affect luxury tax, but still important), Doubt they reup mariano for $15M, soriano could opt out.
Alot depends on if soriano opts out, and what they end up doing with RF. But the Dodgers are already at $193M and that is before arbitration eligibles.
I’m shocked, SHOCKED!
To find money being spent by this franchise!
I think solid SP options the Dodgers could look at include Kuroda, Haren (if the Angels decline his option) and Peavy.
I think the Dodgers could get a couple of those guys on relatively short term deals (3yrs or less), given their age or injury questions.
Ideally, I would like to see Kuroda signed on 1 yr deal with a vesting option and Peavy on a 3 yr deal.
Rotation would look pretty nice with Kershaw, Kuroda, Peavy, Beckett and either Billingsly (if he doesn’t need TJ surgery) or Lilly.
Then the Dodgers could eat some salary and deal Capuano and Harang to teams desperate for pitching and try to get something useful.
No one is giving up anything for Capuano or Harang. Maybe a middle reliever or middle of the road prospect, but not much more. While both guys have pitched well, neither is a difference maker and both have been greatly aided by pitching in Dodger Stadium.
When Harang was signed the common prediction was that he couldn’t possibly pitch as well in Dodger Stadium as he did the year before in Petco. So I will take this prediction with the same grain of salt.
I think the Dodgers would probably take a decent middle reliever for Harang.
Dodgers need to bolster their bullpen.
I agree that the Dodgers won’t get a lot for either guy, but its not necessarily about that. Its about saving a little money and clearing a roster spot for a couple free agent acquisitions.
Capuano and Harang are definitely viable as back end starters for most MLB starting rotations.
the Dodgers don’t need help in the pen. They need one more good starter that we can rely on. Our 5 did amazing this year, but we weren’t able to have them last the whole year. Billz, Lilly and Kershaw missed starts. A Greinke, Kuroda or Peavy would do wonders
Kuroda could well be on their shopping list. He’s been open to one year contracts the last two seasons and at his age can hardly expect anything longer. He also seemed to really like playing in LA and he’s popular with the fans. Either one or both of Capuano and Harang are going into the bullpen or will be dealt. That writing is already on the wall. I’d predict that one becomes a swingman to provide some rotation depth. But a lot depends on the health of Lilly and Billingsley.
Bills isn’t out for at least half of 2013 blue Sky? i thought his elbow was in bad shape.
yeah.. Agreed on a lower cost SP. LA doesn’t need a high dollar SP. Have been mentioning that all morning.
Unknown. They haven’t decided if he needs surgery on the elbow. If so, he’s lost for all of 2013.
Sometimes it’s just best to get it over with.. that term “sprain” and “partial tear” to me is hog wash.. It just delays the inevitable.
How many have put off a partial tear/sprain long?? Takashi Saito? Tazawa put it off for over a year and was awful. had it, came back throwing 96-7, where before he was throwing 91-3. Lackey was awful for 2 years playing with a “sprain” CC played for who knows how long with a sprain.
Get it over with is my thoughts.
I’m not a doc but from my own experience, any tear in a ligament is technically a sprain. It’s all a question of how much of a sprain and whether it’s in a place where it can heal. Bottom line, the Dodgers will want to maximize their value from Billingsley so I am sure they will take whatever course is most likely to do so. That said, medicine is not an exact science. Not even sports medicine.
Stretched ligaments are sprains, torn ligaments require surgery and can’t heal on their own. Totally different.
Not according to my doctor and physical therapist, who described my own partial ACL tear (not stretch) as a sprain. I was told then that most ligament sprains will heal eventually, depending on their location and degree. The ACL is one that doesn’t heal because of a lack of blood flow to that part of the knee. In any event, the recovery goal for athletes is different than for non-athletes. That is the real difference.
I’m going to buy my wife a Dodgers shirt, she fits right in!!!
The Dodgers are crazy!
As for me I am going back to school despite my advanced old age and become a lawyer specializing in Bankruptcy. That is where the Dodgers are headed!
” become a lawyer specializing in Bankruptcy. That is where the Dodgers are headed!”
LOL Not with good old Jerry Brown at the helm Lefty.. He will find a new batch of people to “siphon dry” and then run out of state to keep the coffers empty.
Nice non-sequituer.
This is like the unemployed lotto winner. I am not sure they understand the consequences of the contracts they are taking on and the statements tehy are making,
I’m sure Stan Kasten know what he is doing. He’s already done it with Atlanta & Washington, so it’s not his first go round.
New flash: Sun Rises in East.
and sets in the low shadows of disappointment aka Dodgers!
Wow, that is one awful farm system. Free agency or bust.
Shocker… but seriously, seeings that half of any team Should be home-grown talent ANY budget over the $179 MM Tax is ‘Careless’.
Not always, sometimes you have to pay to keep your talent in you city. Even look at what the yankees are paying jeter and Mariano.
Kemp, Kershaw, Andre, Ellis, Billingsley, Jansen, Guerra, Belisario. Thats 8. Then add the fact that we used De La Rosa, Webster, Lindblom, and Eovaldi, among others, who would have helped the MLB team if they weren’t traded, I think we have plenty of homegrown talent.
Ethier came from Oakland bro
I know. I mentioned him because he has spent his whole MLB career with the Dodgers
Based on who they’ve spent on already, the club is well on its way to winning the 2009 World Series.
At this point nothing they do financially should surprise anyone. They are a group of Billionaires and a few hundred millionaires running the team now. They will be bidding on AEG and they have the money to burn and eat in contracts.
Watch them overpay for Grienke. But I dont know how theyll get rid of some of their starting pitchers.
Puig will get a ST invite and possibly start the season at left if we dont resign Victorino. Crawford will be MLB ready in July (He wont come straight tot the majors in June w/o having ST or any AAA games under his belt)
Would not surprise me if they test the waters on Josh Hamilton
What’s being overlooked nationally is that they gave up 2 potential frontline starters in Webster and DeLaRosa. Going after more hitters without pitching is unwise. Is there anyone in that rotation they can depend at the start of the season next year besides Kershaw?
Its so funny to me how overlooked De La Rosa and Webster UNTIL they became Red Sox. Then, all of a sudden, pundits like Keith Law are calling them top of the rotation prospects.
I think De La Rosa COULD profile as a top of the rotation pitcher, but is far from a sure thing. Webster is more of a mid-rotation SP but definitely profiles as a major league level SP.
Honestly, Zach Lee and Chris Reed are probably higher ceiling pitchers, although both are more raw than De La Rosa and Webster.
As far as the rotation next year goes, I think the Dodgers will pick up a couple SPs off the free agent market. Guys who won’t demand as much as Greinke, but who can slot in well behind Kershaw (unquestioned ace).
Guys like Kuroda, Peavy, Haren and even Dempster come to mind. Or maybe a guy like Edwin Jackson if he would come with a modest price tag.
I think if the Dodgers can get a couple quality arms like that and add them to Kershaw, Billingsley (if healthy), Beckett and Lilly, then they would have a pretty good rotation.
“Its so funny to me how overlooked De La Rosa and Webster UNTIL they
became Red Sox. Then, all of a sudden, pundits like Keith Law are
calling them top of the rotation prospects.”
Boston sees Webster as EXACTLY what he is: A BACK END SP.. Nothing more, so don’t go off and be blaming Boston for some writer’s nonsense.
Here is a small part of his scouting report in fact declaring what is seen out of Webster:
”
Likes to pound
strike zone with fastball. Needs work mixing arsenal in upper levels
and beyond.. Profiles as a middle-to-back-end starter at the major
league level.”
Reeks of probably end up as a middle reliever to me, another Alex Wilson they already have and multiple others.
DeLaRosa has been quite dominant in the past, he didn’t really have a chance to show what he can do post surgery but he does still have + breaking stuff with a good FB. I don’t know much about Webster but he was ranked similarly to Lee, so if Webster isn’t projecting well Lee may not be a top starter and his #’s bear that out.
Agreed De LaRosa probably has a higher ceiling. no in depth scouting report on him of course after the trade for the Boston farm system, since he hasn’t yet pitched for any with his being claimed on waivers.Same with Sands.. Nothing yet on him since his ‘transfer” is not yet official and no Boston site has had a chance to fully rate his prospect status it seems.
My only point on Webster is that after looking him over? saw nothing particulary “nice” that stood out and made him any better than some of the others who have started, then been converted to RP, as in Wilson. A SP has to have more than a mid 90’s FB. Control of secondary pitches is crucial to be a SP.
Seriously if they’re relying on Beckett to be in the front of that rotation while Billis is on the shelf (reportedly a few months into the season at least) you got bigger problems than Boston who got rid of that weight. The problem with just “picking up SP” is that there just ain’t a whole lot of them out there any good.
de la rosa was raved about after his dodgers debut and you know it
Dear Dodgers,
Take a look at your neighbors in Orange County… spending big doesn’t always mean winning anything. Try developing some young talent… then pay them.
I wish I could like that comment 40 times Said the Red Sox fan.
The Dodgers are developing young talent. They had a very good draft and signed some very good international free agents.
Paco Rodriguez (2012 2nd round pick) already paid dividends as a reliever for the Dodgers down the stretch as a LOOGY.
Cuban signee, Yasiel Puig, looks like a legitimate high ceiling OF and could be on the fast track to the big leagues.
Dodgers made the trades they made down the stretch to fill needs for the next few years. Dodgers needed a 1B. SS, 3B and LF and were able to fill 3 out of those 4 needs via trades. They also got a serviceable mid-rotation SP in Beckett for the next couple years.
The plan long-term is to use the farm system to provide the bulk of the Dodgers’ talent, but in the meantime they needed to infuse the Dodgers with talent in the short term and they did that.
where are they going to play Puig? Ethier/Kemp/Crawford are signed through the next milenium
by the time Puig is “major league” ready, the dodgers should know where Crawford is physically. They are not even sure if he will come back to be the everyday productive LF he used to be. There are a lot of “what if’s” in crawford and puig. having more options is always a better scenario then not.
it seems to me that having a bunch of guys under long-term contract for hundreds of millions gives you less options.
with the possible exception of Crawford, who is under a long term contract that is A. Too long or B. A bad deal? Answer is no one. And a healthy Crawford in a more laid back environment has an opportunity to turn it around
if you think the ethier deal is going to be worthwhile then i consider you check into a hotel called reality.
Take it in perspective. Who are you going to get to play RF? Hamilton will cost 200M, Swisher will get a similar deal, if not a larger one than Andre, and then… Melky? An Upton trade won’t happen, and BJ is more unreliable than Andre. Victorino is horrible and doesn’t play RF. Bourn, like Hamilton will get a huge contract that will be dangerous. Honestly, he will remind the Dodgers of Juan Pierre… and we all know how that worked out. Basically, anyone out there is A. Too expensive, B. Less reliable, C. Both or D. Won’t happen. The Dodgers don’t have to deal with free agency, bidding wars, and the possibility they come up empty and sign Juan Rivera to play RF is scary
I like bourn out of all those options, but youre right. Everyone is too expensive. The high priced FA culture has run rampant through the league. The dodgers make more money for the club with Gonzalez then any new FA addition will in the next few years. Even if he is terrible the rest of his time in LA, he will garner a HUGE portion of the mexican american population who watches baseball in LA and even some that dont. He was the MOST important players for the Dodgers to get and they knew that from day one. Im sure they tried to trade for him right when they got the team.
If merchandise and tv demographics and fan base weren’t factors, I would’ve sold the farm for King Felix and Headley. There had to have been a price at which the mariners were willing to deal him.
But part of Bourn’s value is in CF, as is Kemp’s. So you lose some defensive value off the bat. Then add in the fact that Bourn is very similar to Pierre(like I said before), and I doubt the Dodgers go there. THEN add in the 100M he’s gonna get, and its bad.
They hope they got their Bourn in Crawford. They are similar players and Crawford should finally be healthy. Crawford can play LF and its his natural position- aka, it fits more with the team. He can be a table setter for Kemp, Gonzo, Hanley and Andre.
As with the trades you were saying, I doubt Felix is getting dealt. Its been too long that he’s been held onto to deal him now. However, it could be interesting if he complains about the walls. With Headley, he’s in the division and it would cost an absolute ton to do a deal. Doubt we could have afforded both honestly
No deal in the mlb is worthwhile anymore. Everyone is over paid once they hit Free Agency after arbitration. Every player has made these 10 year deals where the last 60% of the contract holds the bulk of the payout. hopefully the pujols/prince deals don’t happen again, but they might keep going that way. The Dodgers MASSIVELY overspent for players in these trades, BUT they are doing it on this belief that they have hundreds of $millions somewhere in ownerships pockets and that they will be getting a $4-7 billion tv deal that will make any number of bad contracts insignificant. Is that the way baseball should head toward? I don’t know, but I think the dodgers are already headed there if even half this stuff is true about ownerships financial commitment to the team/tv deal.
kemp Ethier kershaw cruz gordon Billingsly jansen (future; puig) uhhh no young talent right?
They already tried that. Remember the team with Russell Martin, James Loney, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, and Jonathan Broxton? Didn’t quite work out in 2008 or 2009. No harm in trying a different avenue.
balance might be a good strategy
what if the angels signed all those guys and NONE of them were as good at their respective positions as that kid who plays CF for them…..who was in their system ALREADY and didn’t even play the first month of the season?
I like that. The Dodgers should do that.
“While the Dodgers don’t intend to be careless with their money…” Uh, you mean all that black smoke trailing out the tailpipe is going to turn back into fuel?
This may be a dumb proposal so don’t murder me, i was just thinking about it in general. What if the Angels picked up Haren’s option and then traded him to the Dodgers for Hanley? Obviously wouldnt be the only pieces but something along those lines.
Doubt it happens. Hanley right now isn’t that much of an upgrade over Aybar. Both can return to form, but I think the Angels would be better off keeping haren because he can be a top pitcher.
Hanley is much better than Aybar. are you drunk?
One, they are different players. Two, are you drunk? Because you are having trouble reading…
Aybar actually puts up a higher WAR. Hanley has really started to struggle over the past couple seasons. He isn’t very good defensively, and has gotten to the point where his avg/obp/power haven’t been high enough to compensate for that lack of defense.
Haren was an ace pitcher last year, it’s been 2 years for hanley since he was good. Hanley is better than aybar when he is good, but he has a terrible work ethic, and has been regressing for 4 years as a hitter.
You think he has a horrible work ethnic because ESPN says so. There have been no reports from the Dodgers saying anything negative
the Dodgers said they don’t want starters who “can break”. Does Haren not fit that to a tee? Guarantee to miss 5+ starts with his back. Hanley is a great #5 hitter in a scary lineup
Keep on spending Dodgers, since we know it worked so well for you the first time around. Any other past their prime former Red Sox on the market, oh that Youkilis guy, why not give him 3/30?
Yeah because lasting till game 161 with 4/5 of your original team either spending time on the DL or not finishing the year with the team is such a failure. Especially when you transform an offense from Uribe, Rivera, Loney, TGJ, and Gordon to Gonzalez, Hanley, Crawford, and a healthy Kemp and Ethier next year. Yeah, such a horrible year
not a dodger fan but very glad to hear they will be spending as im sure so are all the players
“Dodgers may hesitate to spend big on pitching”
Translation: Dodgers are going to throw a boatload of money at Zack Greinke becuase he is the only good starter left, even though pitchers breakdown easily, the dodgers need a front of the rotation starter to pair with kershaw.
They should’ve offered all their pitching prospects for felix.
nevermind
It says the exact opposite… Walter hinted that the team may hesitate to spend big on pitching
like to see Dodgers try to get David Wright from the Mets, Trade Hanley to someone . I dont see him working out at shortstop . Way to many errors .Put Cruz at short. Dre better work on Left-handed pitching. His numbers have declined the last two years.
Classy there..
Who could tell? Lots of people are still acting surprised. Seems the best way to get a post downrated here is to state a fact!
what? acquiring 8 guys that at least 6 will be on the team next year and are former all stars is such a bad idea…
Look at Votto, Fielder and Albert’s recent contracts. Gonzalez’s contract is a steal- shorter and 5M less per year. We are paying Beckett a slight overpay, but if he pitches to a 3.2 ERA and is our #3, no one will complain. Crawford is the big question. If he’s healthy, the trade is that much better. Even if he’s still bad, we still have a top 5 1B and a #3 pitcher in one trade. Plus Hanley and a healthy Kemp and Kershaw next year. This team is ready, especially if they sign another pitcher