The Dodgers already have salary commitments that are over $225 Million now – with the $$ given to their reigning NL Cy Young Winner. Kenley Jansen and A.J. Ellis have yet to be paid in Arbitration. The club will certainly pass last years $235 MIL plus payroll. By doing the Kershaw deal also does not prevent them from trying to sign Masahiro Tanaka either. Last year, the Dodgers paid out around $10 MIL for their part in going over the Luxury Tax Threshold for the 1st time – at a 17.5% penalty. Under the current CBA, even if the team went to $300 MIL for 2014, they would only have to dole out roughly $25 MIL in penalties for a 2nd time offender. LAD have taken full advantage of the salary structure – and don’t look for them to relent any time soon.  In 2014, the club will pay a 22.5% penalty for every buck spent over $189 MIL.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

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I wrote an article just 16 months ago on how the LA Dodgers were going to force the economics of baseball the way they were conduct business with the new ownership.

As someone who has worked the majority of the time on the site for the last 3 years, I take great pride in my research.  So far it has worked out.

The Dodgers following what I said is nice vindication as a writer.

I am not here to toot my own horn, but our website was also on the forefront of the Athletics renaissance a few years back, the Rays coming back to fight in the 2013 year, and also we were one of the 1st to report the Shields for Myers deal.

2013 NLDS Post Season highlights – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is Advised

Magic Johnson said the new ownership group would put their money down on the players to stay or come to the franchise, and man he wasn’t kidding. The Los Angeles Dodgers now own 5 of the top 23 player contracts of ALL – Time in the MLB. With a total team payroll likely to be north of $230 MIL, he was right.

Yes, we have made a few wrong predictions along the way, but who doesn’t?  Our track record has been pretty good.

One of the things i watch more than anything is payroll.

The Dodgers are making a mockery of the “Luxury Threshold Tax” of $189 MIL.

With this deal, the club now has 5 of their current players on the top 25 ALL-Time Contract List.  Kershaw (6th), Kemp (T15th), Gonzalez (18th), Greinke (21st) and Crawford (23rd).

They also have world class players Hyun-jin Ryu locked up for several more years at a decent mark each campaign.

What an incredible change for Frank McCourt owning the team 18 months ago.

This franchise has entered un-chartered territory for a National League franchise.  They are completely distancing themselves from the competition by outspending.

In the next 5 years…mark this down, St. Louis, Washington and the Dodgers will be the perennial representatives from the NL every season in the World Series.’

St. Louis is there because they are run incredibly well, and Washington needed years of misery to land draft picks like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.

Clayton Kershaw has agreed to a 7 YRs/$215 MIL extension that will run through the years of 2014 – 2020 with the LA Dodgers. The deal is slated for an opt out clause after the 2018 season by Kershaw, when he will be only 30 years old.  He was a player the club wasn’t willing to have hit Free Agency.  The contract makes Kershaw the highest paid Pitcher in MLB History – along with having the highest Annual Average Salary ever (at $30.7 MIL per year).  Kershaw has an opt out clause in 2018 (after making $150 MIL in his 1st 5 years, he will make $32 MIL in 2019 and $33 MIL in 2020).  If he stays for the whole duration of the contract – he will still only be 32 after the 2020 year.

Here is the new MLB though.  These clubs are going to be exponentially more expensive each year their cores grow together, and their top talented youngsters all come up for new deals.

St. Louis and Washington will soon be near $140 – $160 MIL in total payroll based on how good their teams are.

Yes Atlanta, San Francisco and Pittsburgh will have a fighting chance if they’re pitching holds up, but there is a shift coming.

The Dodgers spending spree will force all of the National clubs to spend more if they want to compete.

There is a reason why this franchise is listed as the favorite in the game of baseball to win the World Series in 2014. While that hasn’t worked in the past for teams, I believe it will begin.

I seriously doubt any team not in the top 15 payroll will even make the World Series in the next 5 – 6 years, let alone win it.

The Yankees are only going to be down for 1 year in payroll (whether that is 2014 or 2015), so there are two teams that will make others buck up their salaries.

Luckily for the American League, New York doesn’t harvest their own talent like St. Louis, or they would win every year.

If it is not New York, Boston, Texas, Detroit and the Los Angeles Angels are starting to blow up how much money they are doling out each year.

I am giving full credit to the Red Sox for not being lumped into long-term deals, and also forking out cash on deals wisely, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be active.

The discrepancies from top to bottom teams will need to be addressed in the new CBA after the 2016 year.

Enough of that for now.

The Dodgers threw down the 1st salvo in 2012 – with the blockbuster trade they completed with the Red Sox.

While that was a good deal for both clubs, it shifted the focus of how the NL Los Angeles franchise was going to conduct business under the new ownership.

Los Angeles is committed to 8 players with contracts that go from 4 years to 6.  The core is all locked up except for SS Hanley Ramirez.

Don’t be surprised to see him be next on the extension list.  Look for a 5 YR deal worth $90 – $100 MIL.

The OF is hugely paid based on their 4 guys Of Puig, Ethier, Kemp and Crawford.  Now the team may still trade Kemp, but if they don’t. that salary will certainly not cripple them either as 2013 showed.

In this list, it doesn’t show the 2017 and 2018 for Kershaw, in which he also will make $33 MIL for each of those 2 years. He will make $32 MIL in 2019 and $33 MIL again in 2020

2014 – 2016 Dodgers Salaries

Dodger Stadium has the capacity to outdraw every other ballpark in the Majors, with hovering at over 56,000 per game if full (ability to draw nearly 4.5 Million fans if they are to fill up every game of a baseball year.) The Dodgers spent over $236 MIL on team payroll during 2013, had a 1st place club – and it showed up at the gate, leading the Majors in attendance for last season – with over 3.7 MIllion people. With spending even more money this year, the fans will probably eclipse those marks in 2014 – and quite likely with another Division championship.

For all of the Rosters, Depth Charts, State of the Unions and Salaries Posts that we do, please visit our dedicated page link here.

Chuck Booth – Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner and author of the Fastest 30 Ballgames:   To learn more about my  “The Fastest 30 Ballgames Book” and how to purchase it, click here .

You can also follow my Guinness Book of World Record Successful Bid to see all 30 MLB Park in 23 Days – click here.

Opening Day at Dodger Stadium – 2012!

You can reach me on Twitter here Follow @mlbreports