Dating back to the mega trade with the Boston Red Sox in August 2012, the Los Angeles Dodgers have used their financial prowess seemingly whenever they see it fit. In acquiring Josh Beckett, Carlo Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto from the Red Sox, the Dodgers added over $250 million in salaries.
They’ve since signed Clayton Kershaw to a contract extension, inked Zack Greinke as a free agent prior to the 2013 season, and invested in international talent, among other financial commitments.
Under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers have used their deep pockets to take on bad contracts as part of trades, and paid a portion of a player’s remaining salary in order to facilitate a deal.