It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers and other clubs around the league, as many top-tier free agents remain unsigned with less than a month until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training.
Facing severe financial implications for exceeding the luxury tax threshold in five consecutive seasons, the Dodgers have prioritized getting below the $197 million luxury threshold for the 2018 season. To this point, the club has passed on a splashy acquisition, and instead, has mainly focused on upgrading the fringes of its roster.
In an appearance on “Lunchtime” with Roggin and Rodney of AM 570 L.A. Sports Radio, co-owner and president Stan Kasten discussed the Dodgers’ offseason approach and the financial restraints that the team is mindful of:
“In general, from what I’ve read this offseason, I think we probably have less room under the CBT (competitive balance tax) than many people give us credit for. I think we have quite a bit more runway under the DSR (debt service rule) than people imagine. It doesn’t matter though to the public, and this is why I don’t talk about finances because all that matters is what kind of team do we have? What kind of team are we putting out there? And I think since this ownership has been here we have been absolutely committed to putting the best team we can out there. In recent years we’ve also put a premium on doing things a little differently, being smart with our transactions.”
“Fortunately, I think the people that we have in the front office are as well-equipped as anyone to be smart and to put teams together in a smart way. But nothing is ever going to stop us from doing a deal with a particular player that we feel would make sense for our team and that continues to be the case, irrespective of the CBT or DSR computations that nobody should spend any time thinking about.”
The Dodgers managed to accomplish its biggest goal of the offseason with one fell swoop in December, unloading the contracts of Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir and Brandon McCarthy to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Matt Kemp. Charlie Culberson was also included in the trade.
As it currently stands, the Dodgers have roughly $17 million at their disposal before exceeding their self-imposed limit. They must account for roster bonuses, incentives and future midseason acquisitions, though, which could complicate matters for additional free agent signings.
But if the free-agent market remains stagnant in the weeks ahead, the Dodgers may be able to find bargains leading up to the start of Spring Training. Freeing up additional money in the form of trades could create leeway for future transactions as well.
