In the gloomy winter months not long after the smoke settled on the 2018 World Series, management, players and fans of the Dodgers began to re-focus their collective mental energy on yet another upcoming campaign with hopes of capturing a long-elusive championship.
This time would be different, though. More than 30 years have passed, and it was about time the Dodgers rolled the dice and went all-in, regardless of the cost. Besides, this year’s free-agent class was elite. Pundits had been talking about the availability of Bryce Harper for years.
In early November, out of nowhere, came stories that the club planned on staying under the MLB luxury tax threshold through the year 2022.