LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers enter the 2024 season with their largest payroll in franchise historical past, which is sensible after an offseason that noticed them signal two file contracts and decide to $1.4 billion in future salaries.
The Dodgers' payroll on home opening day has added as much as $277.5 million in actual cash paid in 2024, surpassing the $269.8 million from ten years in the past on Opening Day 2014 as the best within the historical past of the crew. For aggressive steadiness tax functions, the Dodgers are valued at $320.9 million, which might even be the best in baseball historical past.
In MLB historical past, there have been 27 contracts totaling at the least 10 years assured, per Sarah Langs at MLB.com, and the Dodgers have 4 of these gamers on their present roster, together with three such offers signed since December .
On the subject of the pay totals, my whole differs barely from USA As we speak ($249.8 million) based mostly on their accounting, and can possible be completely different from the Related Press as soon as it comes out. For every particular person yr, I depend any wage paid throughout that yr, in addition to any signing bonus paid throughout that yr plus any bonus earned since opening day, equivalent to James Paxton receiving $2 million for being on the lively listing since March 28, along with his wage of $ 7 million.
Dodgers Opening Day Payouts, 2010-24
| Yr | lively | THE | Useless | Complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yr | lively | THE | Useless | Complete |
| 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 | $266.1 |
| 2016 | $150.5 | $66.1 | $19.3 | $235.9 |
| 2017 | $161.2 | $27.7 | $38.9 | $227.8 |
| 2018 | $137.2 | $14.2 | $26.0 | $177.4 |
| 2019 | $123.7 | $51.7 | $30.6 | $206.0 |
| 2020 | $174.4 | $31.8 | $15.4 | $221.6 |
| 2021 | $218.0 | $11.0 | $8.1 | $237.0 |
| 2022 | $222.1 | $9.4 | $32.0 | $263.5 |
| 2023 | $157.9 | $30.2 | $22.5 | $210.6 |
| 2024 | $246.4 | $25.0 | $6.0 | $277.5 |
2020 makes use of full season totals, though that season was ultimately truncated to 60 video games
In different examples of discrepancies, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a 12-year contract that pays him a $5 million wage in 2024, however he additionally will get all of his $50 million signing bonus this yr. Equally, Will Smith is getting $15 million of his $30 million signing bonus this yr as a part of his new 10-year contract, on high of $8.55 million of his $13 wage .55 million. The opposite $5 million for Smith is deferred.
Deferred cash can also be relevant for Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández. Most famously, Shohei Ohtani is paid $2 million of his wage of $70 million in 2024; the opposite $68 million is available in 2034. All these deferrals decrease the common annual worth for the aim of the aggressive steadiness tax, which the Dodgers have paid in every of the final three seasons and can proceed to take action for the foreseeable future.
As a a number of repeat taxpayer, the Dodgers are topic to larger charges at every aggressive tax break-even threshold. They’ve already handed all 4 ranges, and pay a 50 p.c tax on the $20 million from $237 million to $257 million, 62 p.c for the subsequent $20 million to $277 million, and the 95 p.c for the subsequent $20 million after that. . The Dodgers reside within the highest tier – dubbed the “Steve Cohen tax” in reference to the Mets proprietor once they added in the course of the 2022 collective bargaining settlement – and can pay 110 p.c on any quantity over $297 million.
At his present estimated CBT payroll of $320.9 million, the Dodgers can pay a luxurious tax of $67.7 million.
It's price noting that the Dodgers' actual payroll is no the best in baseball. By USA As we speak's accounting, the Mets ($305.6 million) and Yankees ($303.3 million) outscored the Dodgers ($249.8 million). Roster Recourse at FanGraphs has the Mets with a bigger CBT payroll ($336 million) than the Dodgers, with the Yankees ($312.3 million) not too far behind Los Angeles.
Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas in spring coaching referred to the Dodgers as taking part in “cardboard baseball” earlier than getting shelled for 5 runs in Thursday's dwelling opener at Dodger Stadium.
“I believe 'blind baseball,' as a participant, I believe you need that. That's most likely factor, proper?” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts stated Thursday. “We're making an attempt to win.”
I've been following the Dodgers' payroll since 2010, and I've damaged down the opening day payroll to stipulate between lively gamers, the injured listing, plus useless cash. Trying again, some earlier years included a moderately free interpretation of what qualifies as useless cash, however for essentially the most half it’s paying cash for gamers who’re not round.
Just like the deferred wage for Manny Ramirez, the wage nonetheless due for launched gamers like Carl Crawford or Trevor Bauer, or high-priced worldwide signings who have been kicked off the 40-man roster like Yasiel Sierra or Erisbel Arruebarrena. Lord assist me if I nonetheless comply with the Dodgers payroll in 2034, when $87.85 million in deferred salaries are due.
This yr, the Dodgers' useless cash entails simply two gamers and $6 million, the bottom useless cash for the crew within the final 15 seasons. The Rays despatched cash to the Dodgers when Manuel Margot was traded to Los Angeles in December, and the Dodgers despatched more cash to the Twins once they dealt Margot in March. Justin Turner as a part of his two-year, $34 million contract in 2021, obtained a signing bonus of $8 million, however $6 million of that bonus was deferred, paid in equal installments on the 15 January yearly from 2024-26. Turner's bonus already counted for CBT functions throughout his contract with the Dodgers (2021-22), however this yr's $2 million fee doesn’t depend towards the CBT.
The desk under consists of hyperlinks to particular articles written right here on every participant's contract when it applies. To fill within the salaries for a couple of pre-arbitration gamers, I used the USA As we speak wage database. The minimal wage in 2024 is $740,000.
Rounding off the aggressive funds tax pay are three components:
- $1.67 million paid yearly by every crew within the pre-arbitration bonus pool. Final yr, James Outman and Bobby Miller obtained bonuses from the group
- Salaries for gamers on the 40-man roster whereas within the minor leagues. I estimate this at $2.5 million
- Participant advantages, that are the identical quantity for all 30 groups, which embody quite a lot of prices, together with staff' compensation, unemployment, social safety taxes, spring coaching allowances, transferring bills, pool contributions of postseason gamers, faculty scholarships, participant medical prices, and extra. Final yr, this quantity of advantages was $17,090,029 for every crew. I estimate $18 million for 2024
Dodgers 2024 opening day payroll
| Participant | Pos | Actual pay | Pay CBT | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant | Pos | Actual pay | Pay CBT | Notes |
| Shohei Ohtani | DH/P | $2,000,000 | $46,076,769 | 1st yr of 10 yr enterprise |
| Tyler Glasnow | SP | $25,000,000 | $27,312,500 | 1st yr of 5 yr enterprise |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | SP | $55,000,000 | $27,083,333 | 1st yr of enterprise of 12 years |
| Mookie Betts | 2B/RF | $22,000,000 | $25,554,824 | 4th yr of 12 years of enterprise |
| Freddie Freeman | 1B | $20,000,000 | $24,699,249 | third yr of 6 years of enterprise |
| Teoscar Hernandez | OF | $15,000,000 | $20,433,344 | 1 yr deal |
| Chris Taylor | YES / OF | $13,000,000 | $15,000,000 | third yr of 4 years of enterprise |
| Will Smith | C | $23,550,000 | $12,241,285 | 1st yr of 10 yr enterprise |
| Max Muncy | 3B | $12,000,000 | $12,000,000 | 1st yr of two yr deal |
| Jason Heyward | RF | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| James Paxton | SP | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Joe Kelly | RHP | $8,000,000 | $8,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Miguel Rojas | IF | $5,000,000 | $5,500,000 | 2nd yr of two yr deal |
| Ryan Brasier | RHP | $4,500,000 | $4,500,000 | 2 yr deal |
| Kike Hernandez | YES / OF | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Evan Phillips | RHP | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Ryan Yarbrough | LHP | $3,900,000 | $3,900,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Austin Barnes | C | $3,500,000 | $3,500,000 | 2nd yr of two yr deal |
| Daniel Hudson | RHP | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Gavin Lux | St | $1,225,000 | $1,225,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Alex Vesia | LHP | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | 1 yr deal |
| James Outman | CF | $770,000 | $770,000 | |
| Michael Grove | RHP | $760,000 | $760,000 | |
| Bobby Miller | SP | $750,000 | $750,000 | |
| Gavin Stone | SP | $742,500 | $742,500 | |
| Kyle Harm | RHP | $742,500 | $742,500 | |
| Walker Buehler (IL) | SP | $8,025,000 | $8,025,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Tony Gonsolin (60-day IL) | SP | $5,400,000 | $5,325,000 | 2nd yr of two yr deal |
| Clayton Kershaw (60-day IL) | SP | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | 1 yr + participant choice |
| Brusdar Graterol (IL) | RHP | $2,700,000 | $2,700,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Dustin Could (60-day IL) | SP | $2,135,000 | $2,135,000 | 1 yr deal |
| Blake Treinen (IL) | RHP | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | Choice exercised |
| Emmet Sheehan (IL) | SP | $750,000 | $750,000 | |
| Cash from Rays | – $2,000,000 | – $2,000,000 | Margot buying and selling in LA | |
| Cash to twins | $6,000,000 | $6,000,000 | Margot trades from LA | |
| Justin Turner | $2,000,000 | $0 | Deferred signing bonus | |
| Minor league salaries | $2,500,000 | MiLBers on the 40-man roster | ||
| Pre-Arbitration Pool | $1,666,667 | 50 million {dollars} divided by 30 groups | ||
| Prices of crew advantages | $18,000,000 | 2023 was $17,090,029 | ||
| Totals | $277,450,000 | $320,892,971 | ||
| Your complete lively listing | $246,440,000 | |||
| Full listing of injured | $25,010,000 | |||
| Complete useless cash | $6,000,000 |
