Despite not making the big free-agent signing many fans had anticipated, the Los Angeles Dodgers are on track to enter the 2019 season with projections on their side. With their current roster as is, the club is pegged by PECOTA to win the most games in the National League this season.
Managing to avoid big-money expenditures, the Dodgers were still one of the most active teams during the offseason, reaching new agreements with David Freese, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu, while adding the likes of Joe Kelly and A.J. Pollock in free agency.
As it currently stands, the Dodgers are once again positioned to avoid exceeding the 2019 luxury tax threshold. Staying below the limit would hypothetically allow for greater flexibility in terms of midseason trades and future free agent spending sprees.
While that appears to be a factor for the Dodgers, owner Mark Walter denied the notion that the club has been mandated to remain beneath the threshold, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
“No,” Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter said Saturday at Camelback Ranch. “Stan and Andrew run all that and they do what they think is best for the team, period, and to win.”
“Friedman and Kasten make all of the decisions,” Walter said, “and they do what they think is the smartest thing to win.”
Interestingly enough, in the wake of Walter’s comments were reports that the Dodgers have become serious players for star free agent Bryce Harper.
With the biggest name lingering on the market, it makes sense that the Dodgers would explore any possibility of adding a player of his caliber to an already loaded roster. Potentially signing Harper would all but assure the Dodgers hover over the luxury tax threshold this season.
Though, doing so would represent a small price to pay for an organization looking to not only return to the World Series for a third consecutive season, but finally get over the hump and end a three-decade long championship drought.
