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LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have their lowest opening day payroll in six years, starting the 2018 season at $177.4 million, with a competitive balance tax payroll of roughly $182 million.
This year’s opening day payroll is down $50 million from 2017, a 22% decrease from last year. Just looking at the active roster plus those on the disabled list, the 2018 total is at $151.4 million compared to $188.9 million last year.
Dodgers opening day payrolls
| Year | Active | DL | Dead | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Active | DL | Dead | Total |
| 2010 | $77.9 | $1.0 | $14.5 | $93.4 |
| 2011 | $83.4 | $13.4 | $16.3 | $113.1 |
| 2012 | $78.3 | $13.5 | $22.2 | $114.0 |
| 2013 | $185.3 | $40.5 | $16.0 | $241.8 |
| 2014 | $172.5 | $71.8 | $25.5 | $269.8 |
| 2015 | $195.9 | $24.7 | $45.5 | $266.0 |
| 2016 | $150.5 | $66.1 | $19.3 | $236.0 |
| 2017 | $161.2 | $27.7 | $38.9 | $227.8 |
| 2018 | $137.2 | $14.2 | $26.0 | $177.4 |
Usually these annual opening day posts are just about the actual payroll but with the Dodgers hellbent on getting under the $197 million threshold to avoid paying luxury tax penalties and resetting their 50% tax, I decided to also include the CBT number in this year’s annual snapshot.
Keep in mind that performance bonuses count toward the CBT so there needs to be some room for Kenta Maeda and his incentive-laden contract to earn some more, and Clayton Kershaw gets a $500,000 bonus if he finishes second or third in the Cy Young Award, and $1 million if he wins it.
The Dodgers from 2013-2017 averaged $248.3 million in opening day payroll, and during those five years paid just under $150 million in competitive balance taxes.
For competitive balance tax purposes it’s the average annual value of the contract that counts, not the actual amount paid. For instance Clayton Kershaw in 2018 will be paid $33 million in the fifth season of his seven-year, $215 million contract, but his CBT number is just over $30.7 million. Justin Turner gets $11 million in 2018 but his CBT number is $16 million, the average of his four-year, $64 million contract.
The opening day payroll includes everyone on the active roster and disabled list, plus any other guaranteed money or cash payouts sent out elsewhere. Yaisel Sierra for instance gets $3.5 million this season in the third season of his six-year, $30 million contract, but because he is not on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster he does not count toward the competitive balance tax payroll.
What does count against the CBT are the minor league salaries for players on the 40-man roster, like Rob Segedin, Brock Stewart, Alex Verdugo, et al. There is also just over $14 million that every major league team pays in benefits to its players that counts against the CBT.
Included in the actual payroll is the $5 million deferred from Howie Kendrick’s 2016 salary, as well as the $2.5 million buyout of Andre Ethier‘s 2018 club option, both of which were already accounted for in previous years’ competitive balance tax payrolls.
A few of the gaps were filled in with USA Today payroll numbers, and a couple assumptions were made on some minor league salaries (in italics below).
Dodgers 2018 opening day payroll
| Pos | Player | 2018 salary | CBT number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | 2018 salary | CBT number |
| C | Yasmani Grandal | $7,900,000 | $7,900,000 |
| 1B | Cody Bellinger | $585,000 | $585,000 |
| 2B | Kiké Hernandez | $1,600,000 | $1,600,000 |
| 3B | Logan Forsythe | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 |
| SS | Corey Seager | $605,000 | $605,000 |
| LF | Matt Kemp | $21,500,000 | $20,000,000 |
| CF | Chris Taylor | $575,000 | $575,000 |
| RF | Yasiel Puig | $7,500,000 | $6,000,000 |
| C | Austin Barnes | $555,000 | $555,000 |
| 2B | Chase Utley | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| LF | Joc Pederson | $2,600,000 | $2,600,000 |
| C | Kyle Farmer | $547,500 | $547,500 |
| SP | Clayton Kershaw | $33,000,000 | $30,714,286 |
| SP | Alex Wood | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
| SP | Kenta Maeda | $3,000,000 | $3,125,000 |
| SP | Rich Hill | $16,000,000 | $16,000,000 |
| SP | Hyun-jin Ryu | $7,000,000 | $6,000,000 |
| CL | Kenley Jansen | $10,000,000 | $16,000,000 |
| RHP | Pedro Baez | $1,500,000 | $1,500,000 |
| LHP | Scott Alexander | $555,000 | $555,000 |
| LHP | Tony CIngrani | $2,300,000 | $2,300,000 |
| RHP | Josh Fields | $2,200,000 | $2,200,000 |
| RHP | Ross Stripling | $555,000 | $555,000 |
| RHP | J.T. Chargois | $550,000 | $550,000 |
| RHP | Wilmer Font | $550,000 | $550,000 |
| Total active | $137,177,500 | $137,016,786 | |
| Minors / on 40-man roster | |||
| LHP | Adam Liberatore | $247,400 | |
| OF | Andrew Toles | $270,000 | |
| OF | Alex Verdugo | $88,900 | |
| 1/3/OF | Rob Segedin | $250,000 | |
| IF | Tim Locastro | $88,900 | |
| RHP | Walker Buehler | $88,900 | |
| RHP | Brock Stewart | $250,000 | |
| LHP | Henry Owens | $88,900 | |
| LHP | Edward Paredes | $88,900 | |
| RHP | Dylan Baker | $88,900 | |
| RHP | Cory Mazzoni | $88,900 | |
| RHP | Dennis Santana | $44,500 | |
| Total minors | $1,684,200 | ||
| Disabled list | |||
| DL | Justin Turner | $11,000,000 | $16,000,000 |
| DL | Tom Koehler | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 |
| DL | Yimi Garcia | $630,000 | $630,000 |
| 60DL | Julio Urias | $550,000 | $550,000 |
| Total DL | $14,180,000 | $19,180,000 | |
| Dead money / off 40-man roster | |||
| Yaisel Sierra | $3,500,000 | ||
| Erisbel Arruebarrena | $5,000,000 | ||
| Howie Kendrick | $5,000,000 | ||
| Andre Ethier | $2,500,000 | ||
| Cash to San Diego | $3,500,000 | $3,500,000 | |
| Cash to Atlanta | $4,500,000 | $4,500,000 | |
| Cash to White Sox | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | |
| Team benefit costs | $14,044,600 | ||
| Total dead money / other | $26,000,000 | $24,044,600 | |
| Totals | $177,357,500 | $181,925,586 |