Call to the pen
Fansided

Los Angeles Dodgers: MLB’s most expensive MASH unit

By Bill Felber

Oct 3, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy (13) makes a tag against Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Jace Peterson (14) on a throw from Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner (not pictured) in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Muncy left the game with an apparent injury to his left arm. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 3, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy (13) makes a tag against Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Jace Peterson (14) on a throw from Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner (not pictured) in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Muncy left the game with an apparent injury to his left arm. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Has any team in history ever paid more players not to play post-season baseball than the Los Angeles Dodgers are paying this post-season?

The list of sidelined LA players now includes three multi-millionaires.

Los Angeles Dodgers IL cost more than some team payrolls

Clayton Kershaw ($31 million) is out for the entire post-season with a painful forearm.

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Trevor Bauer ($31.33 million) remains on paid administrative leave pending the settlement of sexual harassment allegations that have been leveled against him. Both MLB and relevant local law enforcement agencies have investigations in progress, and the only certainty appears to be that Bauer will not be cleared to pitch in 2021.

And Max Muncy ($9 million) is out for the wild card game, and possibly longer, with an injured elbow. The extent of that injury has not been disclosed.

Add that all up and it works out to $71.33 million worth of injured stars.

Put that number in perspective. The Dodgers are paying those three injured stars more not to compete this postseason than the defending AL champion Tampa Bay Rays will pay their entire roster ($66.715 million) to play.

In fact, the Dodgers’ injury payroll is higher than the entire payrolls of five major league teams: The Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Cleveland Indians, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

And that doesn’t count LA’s share of Danny Duffy’s $15.5 million contract. Duffy was acquired July 29, two weeks after making his final 2021 appearance for the Kansas City Royals.

It also doesn’t take into consideration the $32 million the Los Angeles Dodgers are paying David Price to be a bullpen hood ornament. Price has made 11 starts and 28 relief appearances, with one save.

Toss Price and Duffy into the equation and the Dodgers’ total of damaged or misfit toys runs upwards of $110 million entering the playoffs. Thirteen teams –among them the playoff-bound Rays and Brewers – had payrolls below $110 million in 2021.

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The status of utility man Gavin Lux also remains uncertain. Lux sustained what has been described as a shoulder stinger when he ran into a wall at Dodger Stadium attempting to make a catch last week. But since Lux is paid close to the rookie minimum, his injury only hurts the Dodgers on the field, not in the wallet.

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