The Los Angeles Dodgers are doing something we rarely see in baseball this offseason.
That is spending an astronomical amount of money.
No team has improved their roster through free agency like the Dodgers.
There are spending more money on free agents than most teams’ payrolls for the upcoming season.
It all started when the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract.
That got the ball rolling for them and it has not slowed down.
One reason they can pay so many players is that they are deferring money in their contracts.
For instance, Ohtani will only make $2 million per season over the next ten years.
All of that deferred money allows the Dodgers to continue to be aggressive in free agency.
According to Jeff Passan, the Dodgers took the same strategy into signing Teoscar Hernandez.
Hernandez agreed to a one-year, $23.5 million deal with $8.5 million being deferred.
Of the $23.5 million in Teoscar Hernández’s deal with the Dodgers, $8.5 million will be deferred, to be paid out from 2030 to 2039, sources tell ESPN. The corner-outfield market is tough, and Hernández opted for a big one-year deal with the best team over other multiyear offers.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 8, 2024
Hernandez opting for a one-year deal over a few multi-year offers is interesting.
But, he probably felt signing with the Dodgers would give him the best chance to win.
Outside of Ohtani and Hernandez, the Dodgers have signed Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to massive contracts.
There is no doubt they will have the best roster in baseball heading into the 2024 season.
It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers make any more moves this offseason.
For the most part, their roster seems to be set, but they could always make improvements.
The Dodgers have found a sound financial strategy and seem to be sticking to it.
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