The Dodgers won the expensive ($25.7 million) posting fee for Korean LHP Ryu. The Dodgers have 30 days to reach a deal with Ryu's agent, Scott Boras.
The Dodgers have spent like drunken sailors since the new owners came on board after the McCourt bankruptcy/MLB litigation. The engine for the spending is a new multi-billion local television deal.
But are the Dodgers spending themselves into "baseball bankruptcy?" The team is saddled with high price, multi-year contracts for aging veterans.
In 2013, the Dodgers are already committed to spend $189 million on 18 players. Add in the buyout numbers for Manny Ramirez, Andrew Jones, H. Kuroda , Gwynn Jr. and other players, the 2013 payroll stands at a lofty $204.5 million.
Adding an expensive Ryu to the equation (Boras is looking for a "short term" deal, 2 year contract, which makes the posting fee proration giagantic) raises financial concerns. How can the Dodgers continue to add big money players?
Starting pitchers under contract (salary plus * multiyear): Josh Beckett (17*), Chad Billingsly (11*), Chris Capuano (6*), Clayton Kershaw (11 *), Aaron Harang (7 *) and Ted Lilly (13.5). The team already has six starting pitchers making $65.5 million. To sign Ryu, the 2013 starting staff pushes past $100 million.
Some will argue that the Dodgers are pitcher rich in a market that seeks out starting pitcher. The
Dodgers could always trade their surplus pitching for prospects. Except, most general managers today do not want to trade for pitchers with long term contracts, especially veteran starters who tend to break down with age and IP. Billingsly, Capuano and Harang seem to be possible trade bait at the winter meetings. It depends on whether Lilly has recovered from his injury.
There are some reports that the Dodgers may also make an offer for free agent Zach Greinke. It would seem nuclear overload to try to sign Greinke and Ryu in the same month.
The players and their agents like when one team decides it will try to buy a championship. It raises the salary structure for the entire league. But at some point in the near future, the team will be hampered by dead money contracts like Carl Crawford's.
