LOS ANGELES -- I'm not sure if you heard but the Dodgers didn't re-sign pitcher Zack Greinke this offseason. However, that hasn't stopped them from having the highest payroll in the sport on opening day for a third straight year.
I have the 2016 opening day payroll at just under $236 million, which is down from $266 million one year ago which, come to think of it, is a Greinke-sized gap. Though as we'll see below, the difference between 2015 and 2016 is really just a decrease in dead money.
My numbers might be a tad different than those tracked by Associated Press or USA Today, for instance, in that I only count the money actually paid out that season.
For instance, Alex Guerrero was paid a $10 million signing bonus in 2014 as part of his four-year contract. Since that was already paid, I only count Guerrero's $5 million salary for 2016, while AP and USA Today add the pro-rated portion of that signing bonus ($2.5 million) to his salary, counting Guerrero this year as $7.5 million.
I also count $13.4 million extra for Kenta Maeda, the amount of the release fee sent in 2016 to the Hirsohima Carp for the Dodgers winning his rights.
It works the other way, too. Both Howie Kendrick and Scott Kazmir have deferred money but for 2016 I only count the money paid this year.
We keep track of the payroll all year long, with various changes as roster moves are made. So consider this only a single snapshot in time, one we can compare to recent years.
The disabled list this season for the Dodgers is especially robust, with 10 players and a whopping $66.14 million on the shelf. But again, this is just a snapshot, and several of those players and salaries will be assets as well as liabilities in due time.
Here is the Dodgers' opening day payroll for 2016 (click here for more details):
Dodgers Payroll | |||
---|---|---|---|
Active Roster | |||
Pos | Player | 2016 Salary | Comments |
C | A.J. Ellis | $4,500,000 | |
1B | Adrian Gonzalez | $21,000,000 | |
2B | Chase Utley | $7,000,000 | |
3B | Justin Turner | $5,100,000 | |
SS | Corey Seager | $510,000 | |
LF | Carl Crawford | $20,750,000 | |
CF | Joc Pederson | $520,000 | |
RF | Yasiel Puig | $5,500,000 | |
1B/OF | Scott Van Slyke | $1,225,000 | |
IF/OF | Kike Hernandez | $520,000 | |
C | Austin Barnes | $512,500 | |
OF | Trayce Thompson | $512,500 | |
IF | Charlie Culberson | $535,000 | |
SP | Clayton Kershaw | $32,000,000 | |
SP | Scott Kazmir | $8,000,000 | |
SP | Kenta Maeda | $17,550,000 | |
SP | Alex Wood | $530,000 | |
SP | Ross Stripling | $507,500 | |
CL | Kenley Jansen | $10,650,000 | |
RHP | Chris Hatcher | $1,065,000 | |
LHP | J.P. Howell | $6,250,000 | |
RHP | Joe Blanton | $4,000,000 | |
RHP | Yimi Garcia | $517,500 | |
RHP | Pedro Baez | $520,000 | |
RHP | Louis Coleman | $725,000 | |
Total Active Roster | $150,500,000 | (2015 was $195,868,000; down 23.2%) | |
Disabled List |
|||
Pos | Player | 2016 Salary | Comments |
OF | Andre Ethier | $18,000,000 | |
SP | Brett Anderson | $15,800,000 | |
SP | Brandon McCarthy | $11,000,000 | |
SP |
Hyun-jin Ryu | $7,000,000 | |
2B | Howie Kendrick | $5,000,000 | |
3B |
Alex Guerrero | $5,000,000 | |
C |
Yasmani Grandal | $2,800,000 | |
SP |
Mike Bolsinger | $515,000 | |
RHP |
Josh Ravin | $515,000 | |
RHP |
Frankie Montas | $510,000 | |
Total Disabled List |
$66,140,000 | (2015 was $24,697,500; up 167.8%) | |
Total Active Roster + DL |
$216,640,000 | (2015 was $220,565,500; down 1.8%) | |
Dead Money / Other |
|||
Player | 2016 Salary | Comments | |
RHP |
Yaisel Sierra | $7,000,000 | in minors for now |
OF |
Jose Tabata | $4,500,000 | off 40-man roster |
SS | Erisbel Arruebarrena | $4,000,000 | off 40-man roster |
Matt Kemp | $3,500,000 | traded to San Diego | |
SP | Brandon Beachy | $1,500,000 | off 40-man roster |
LHP | Luis Avilan | $1,390,000 | in minors for now |
Cash from Miami | ($2,562,842) | deferred money from Miami in Morse trade | |
Total Dead Money |
$19,327,158 | (2015 was $45,474,795; down 57.5%) | |
Total 2016 Dodgers Payroll |
$235,967,158 | (2015 was $266,040,295; down 11.3%) |