DODGER GREEN

The Los Angeles Dodgers have usually been identified with the blue in their uniforms. Now they’re known for the green in their swollen checking account.

With the acquisition of Chase Utley in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers could become the first team in Major League Baseball history with a payroll that hits $300 million. As they stand right now, they’re at $298.5 million.

MLB charges teams a “luxury tax” for spending beyond specified limits, and that number is $189 million. The Dodgers, who have now blown past it for three years in a row, face a 40 percent tax, or $44 million. That would top the New York Yankees’ mark of $34 million in 2005.

The Associated Press reports the club’s luxury tax payroll includes about $40 million for players no longer with the organization. And that’s after the Dodgers paid $11.4 million in tax in 2013 and $26.6 million in 2014 when their tax payroll was $277.7 million. And you think your taxes are high?

The Dodgers lead the National League West and they clearly have their eyes on a prize they haven’t won since 1988 – the World Series. With their stacked staff of starting pitchers, they’re sparing no expense.

So let’s take a moment to thank the Houston Astros for their frugal ways. They began the season with a payroll of about $71 million (29^th of 30 teams) – about what the Dodgers will pay in tax for last year and this. The Astros are in first place in the American League West with a 66-56 record. The Dodgers are 67-53.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .