Dodgers among 5 teams set to pay luxury tax
The Los Angeles Dodgers' luxury-tax bill from this past season is more than half of the Milwaukee Brewers', Tampa Bay Rays', and San Diego Padres' Opening Day salaries.
It's the fourth straight season that the Dodgers will pay the league's highest luxury tax, with the 2017 bill coming in at $36.2 million after finishing with a $243.7-million payroll, according to the Associated Press.
The New York Yankees ($15.7 million), San Francisco Giants ($4.1 million), Detroit Tigers ($3.7 million), and Washington Nationals ($1.45 million) were the other teams that exceeded the luxury-tax threshold and have been penalized. The Yankees, Dodgers, and Nationals all reached the postseason, while the Giants and Tigers finished tied for the worst record in the majors.
Both the Dodgers and Yankees have vowed to try to get under the $197-million luxury-tax threshold in 2018 in order to reset any penalties before next winter's star-studded free-agent class.
By contrast, the Brewers, Rays, and Padres all opened last season with payrolls less than $72 million, according to Forbes.