I couldn't do that, so the Yankees owner also raised his hands. LAD Payroll + Luxury Tax exceeded $500 million for the first time in ML history

Jan 31, 2025

New York Yankees owner Steinbrenner. AP Yonhap News

Special closing Kirby Yates, who made 33 saves for the Texas Rangers last year, reportedly signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. AP Yonhap News

The LA Dodgers' squad for this year is expected to exceed $500 million for the first time in major league history.

The Dodgers agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract with FA right-hander bullpen Kirby Yates on the 29th (Korea time). This offseason, the Dodgers are the eighth player to sign in the FA market.

Earlier, the Dodgers were criticized for signing Blake Snell ($182 million for five years), Tanner Scott ($72 million for four years), Teoscar Hernandez ($66 million for three years), Blake Trinen ($22 million for two years), Michael Confoto ($17 million for one year), and Kim Hye-sung ($12.5 million for three years) and Loki Sasaki ($6.5 million for Saining Bonus).

The criticism is that even after winning the World Series last year, it disturbs the market by using an expedient that indiscriminately uses derails based on enormous profits. However, we cannot stop the Dodgers' desire to invest.

Blake Snell poses with President Andrew Friedman (right) and General Manager Brandon Gomes at the LA Dodgers' joining ceremony on December 4 (Korea time) last year. AP Yonhap News

Yates is a special closing pitcher with a 7-2 record, two holds, 33 saves and a 1.17 ERA in 61 appearances for the Texas Rangers last year. Yates, who made his debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014, pitched 442 major league games as relief alone, going 26-21 with 52 holds, 95 saves and a 3.17 ERA. In 2019, he was ranked No. 1 overall in the category with 41 saves for the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers also raised their bullpen to the strongest level by combining Scott and Yates, who were brought to Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, and Trinen on FA contracts. In addition, he has built the best rotation in history in terms of quantity and quality, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Sasaki, as well as Japanese '3 Chongsa', Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, and Landon Ngak.

For this reason, experts predict that the Dodgers will become the first team in the 21st century to win the World Series for two consecutive years. The Dodgers invested more than $450 million in strengthening their power this offseason alone. Payrolls are expected to increase exponentially this year.

According to ESPN, the Dodgers' payroll based on luxury tax is expected to reach $390 million this year. Payroll based on luxury tax this year is $241 million, and the approximate luxury tax for Dodgers applying it is $131.24 million. In other words, the Dodgers' 2025 team labor costs, including payrolls and luxury taxes, will easily exceed $520 million.

Left-hander Liber Tanner Scott wears a hat at the LA Dodgers' joining ceremony on the 24th (Korea time). AP Yonhap News

Last year, the Dodgers spent $456,032,256 dollars, including $453.15,360 in Payroll and $131,06896 in luxury taxes. The all-time record for the category was set by the New York Mets in 2023. In that year, the Mets poured $374,676,003 in payrolls, $178,1932 in luxury taxes, and a total of $475,457,935 into the team's ransom.

The Dodgers, which paid luxury taxes for five consecutive years from 2013 to 2017, will not pay for three years from 2018 to 2020, but will pay for five consecutive years from 2021 to this year. Both the Payroll and Luxury Taxes are the largest in history.

The basic luxury tax rate is 50% applied if it is imposed for more than three consecutive years like the Dodgers. In addition, clubs with high payrolls like the Dodgers are double-imposed because the tax amount is determined separately at a set tax rate for each section in excess of the luxury tax imposition standard.

It can be said that the Dodgers are being envied and criticized by other clubs at the same time this winter. In response, ESPN is 'Juss's payroll is expected to reach $390 million this year, and the total labor cost is expected to easily exceed $500 million when taxes on those exceeding the luxury tax standard of $241 million are addedI'm speaking up about Juss's spending,' he said.

In particular, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said in an interview with YES Network on the 29th that "almost all owners."It's very difficult to do like Juss," he said, expressing a critical surprise.