Dodgers links: Zack Greinke contract, Dodgers spending

Just in case you thought $147 million over six years wasn't quite enough for Zack Greinke, the new Dodgers right-handed pitcher can earn even more based on performance. Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported some more contract details for Greinke, which could bring the deal to over $158 million.

• Greinke's $12 million signing bonus will be spread out from now until February 2014.
• If Greinke pitches 1,000 innings combined from 2012-2017, his 2018 base salary will increase by $2 million, to $26 million.
• If Greinke wins the Cy Young Award in any year of the contract, his base salary the following year increases by $1 million (if he wins it in 2018, he gets a $1 million bonus). If Greinke finishes second through fifth in balloting, the bonus is $500,000.
• In addition to the right to void the contract at the end of a year in which he is traded, Greinke would receive a $3 million bonus if dealt.
  

The recent contracts to Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu will push the Dodgers payroll likely north of $240 million in 2013, without considering the posting fee to negotiate with Ryu. But even if the 2013 Dodgers payroll will be nominally unprecedented, Wendy Thurm at FanGraphs puts the Dodgers' spending into some perspective:

It’s easy to get blinded by big numbers. And it’s easy to see the Dodgers’ payroll growing and then wondering how we could have gotten to this point. But, remember, we’ve been here before with the Yankees of the 2000s. Other teams played catch up, new revenue streams developed, and players and owners responded with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement aimed at reigning in the Yankees’ spending. Ten years later, we have the Yankees of the 2010s — a more measured, big-money team.

The Dodgers' payroll might have been even higher, had Josh Hamilton had his way. Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports reported Thursday that representatives for the outfielder sought to engage the Dodgers in negotiations despite the team having four outfielders signed through at least 2017.

Also at FanGraphs - or, RotoGraphs, Michael Barr looks at Greinke from a fantasy baseball perspective and thinks the change of scenery will help the right-hander.

Jay Jaffe at Sports Illustrated uses his JAWS system to take a look at Mike Piazza's Hall of Fame chances.

Ready for Dodgers Rocking Opening Day...Eve? Mike Ozanian at Forbes says the Dodgers are looking into starting a regional sports network with Dick Clark Productions.

New Dodger utility man Skip Schumaker told Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com, "I feel like I'm a good role player on a good team."

I was a guest on the Phil Naessens Show, talking all things Dodgers.

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