Great philosopher of our time Chris Rock once remarked on the difference between being rich and being wealthy. Sure, a professional athlete drawing huge paychecks is rich, but the owners who are able to pay somebody that much are wealthy. In baseball terms, I feel like this divide can be expressed in a similar way: anybody can sign free agents but only the truly wealthy teams can pay people just to go away.
The Dodgers are as wealthy as it gets in baseball. After buying up all the Red Sox contract albatrosses at the end of last season then signing Zack Greinke this December, the Dodgers have one of the best teams in baseball on paper.
Having the best team on paper in December doesn’t preclude the Dodgers from seeking upgrades. Considering LA goes into the season with an outfield of Jerry Hairston Jr. (until Carl Crawford comes back) – Matt Kemp – and Andre Ethier, there is certainly room to upgrade. How will the Dodgers look to create space? Perhaps moving the very-recently-signed Ethier will do the trick.
