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LOS ANGELES -- Opening day is here, which means another snapshot at the beginning of the season at the Dodgers payroll. The club's payroll in 2015, tracking money paid this season, is just over $276 million, a 1.4-percent decrease from 2014.
The Dodgers do have roughly $45 million tied up in dead money, about $20 million more than last season.
We have seen in recent days the Associated Press and USA Today release their annual payroll figures, and the Dodgers top those lists as well. Each has their own accounting method.
I have been tracking the Dodgers payroll for over six years, and for my purposes I use only the money paid out in that season. For instance, Zack Greinke is paid a $23 million base salary this season, so he counts as $23 million for my purposes. USA Today spreads Greinke's $12 million signing bonus (which was paid in 2013 and 2014) evenly over the guaranteed years of the contract; because Greinke can opt out after 2015, his signing bonus is spread over three years rather than six years, so $4 million gets added to his base salary, giving Greinke a USA Today 2015 salary of $27 million.
Similarly, Brandon McCarthy gets paid an $11 million base salary, plus his $6 million signing bonus as part of his four-year, $48 million contract. For my purposes, his 2015 is $17 million, while USA Today has McCarthy at $12.5 million (base salary plus $1.5 million of his signing bonus).
Here is the Dodgers' opening day payroll
| Dodgers Payroll | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Roster | |||
| Pos | Player | 2015 Salary | Comments |
| C | Yasmani Grandal | $693,000 | |
| 1B | Adrian Gonzalez | $21,000,000 | |
| 2B | Howie Kendrick | $9,500,000 | |
| 3B | Juan Uribe | $6,500,000 | |
| SS | Jimmy Rollins | $10,000,000 | |
| LF | Carl Crawford | $20,500,000 | |
| CF | Joc Pederson | $510,000 | |
| RF | Yasiel Puig | $4,500,000 | |
| 1B/OF | Scott Van Slyke | $522,500 | |
| IF | Justin Turner | $2,500,000 | |
| C | A.J. Ellis | $4,250,000 | |
| OF | Andre Ethier | $18,000,000 | |
| IF/OF | Alex Guerrero | $4,000,000 | |
| IF | Darwin Barney | $2,525,000 | |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | $30,000,000 | |
| SP | Zack Greinke | $23,000,000 | |
| SP | Brandon McCarthy | $17,000,000 | |
| SP | Brett Anderson | $10,000,000 | |
| RHP | Chris Hatcher | $522,500 | |
| RHP | Joel Peralta | $2,500,000 | |
| LHP | J.P. Howell | $4,000,000 | |
| LHP | Paco Rodriguez | $522,500 | |
| RHP | Yimi Garcia | $510,000 | |
| RHP | Pedro Baez | $512,500 | |
| RHP | Juan Nicasio | $2,300,000 | |
| Total Active Roster | $195,868,000 | (2014 was $172,541,600; up 13.5%) | |
| Disabled List |
|||
| Pos | Player | 2015 Salary | Comments |
| RHP | Brandon League | $9,500,000 | |
| CL | Kenley Jansen | $7,425,000 | |
| SP | Hyun-Jin Ryu | $4,500,000 | |
| SP |
Brandon Beachy | $2,750,000 | |
| RHP |
Chris Withrow | $522,500 | |
|
Total Disabled List |
$24,697,500 | (2014 was $71,825,000; down 65.6%) | |
|
Total Active Roster + DL |
$220,565,500 | (2014 was $244,366,600; down 9.7%) | |
| Dead Money / Other |
|||
| Player | 2015 Salary | Comments | |
| SS |
Erisbel Arruebarrena | $3,000,000 | off 40-man roster |
| OF |
Chris Heisey | $2,160,000 | arb salary; in minors |
| SP |
Joe Wieland | $590,000 | arb salary; in minors |
| Matt Kemp | $18,000,000 | traded to San Diego | |
| Brian Wilson | $10,000,000 | released in December | |
| Dan Haren | $10,000,000 | traded to Miami | |
| Chad Billingsley | $3,000,000 | 2015 option buyout | |
| Dee Gordon | $2,500,000 | traded to Miami | |
| Dustin McGowan | $124,795 | released in spring; 45 days term. pay | |
| Cash from Boston | ($3,900,000) | Punto Trade | |
|
Total Dead Money |
$45,474,795 | (2014 was $25,475,000; up 78.5%) | |
|
Total 2015 Dodgers Payroll |
$266,040,295 | (2014 was $269,841,600; down 1.4%) | |