December 9th, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka If ever there were a double-edged sword, this would be it.
On one edge, the Dodgers desperately need a talented – preferably veteran – shortstop to replace Trea Turner, who signed a massive 11-year/$300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, and with 28-year-old Ponce, Puerto Rico native, two-time All-Star, and (now) free agent shortstop Carlos Correa very much on Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman‘s radar.
On the other edge, the Dodgers have several young and very talented middle-infielders Down on the Farm, including and most notably 24-year-old El Monte, CA native Jacob Amaya, who split the 2022 season between Double-A Tulsa (49 games) and Triple-A Oklahoma City (84 games), slashing a combined .261/.369/.427/.795, with 17 home runs and 71 RBI between the Dodgers top two farm teams. He also posted a combined .964 fielding percentage between Tulsa and OKC in 129 games, of which 125 were at shortstops and the other four at at second base.
As popular MLB.com Dodgers beat writer Juan Toribio noted in his excellent piece on Thursday, signing Correa would make a lot of sense for the Dodgers, as he is unquestionably one of the best shortstops in the game today. However, because of his (very) well-established involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal against the Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, Friedman and Dodgers Chief Executive Officer Stan Kasten are very sensitive to the potential negative fan reaction that signing Correa might have which, in turn, could have a direct and extremely negative impact on ticket sales, especially among their highly-coveted season ticket holders.
A double-edged sword indeed.
Stay tuned…
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@Dodgers There should be. But we have a lot of fans that are up in their feelings about 2017, while also being the same fans that were stomping Kershaw jerseys after we lost in 2019.
Nothing compares to Giants Marical hitting John Rose pro over the head with a bat!! For real! The Dodgers buried the hatchet and signed him to pitch for the Dodgers years later! My hero, Jackie Robinson, said he would retire before he would play for the Giants! Lol… point is…this is a business…whatever Dodgers do I support…
I like the theme of your message, but for clarification — Jackie Robinson did not retire because of the trade to the Giants. In fact, he wrote a letter to the Giants saying that he would have enjoyed playing for them. According to Jackie, well prior to the trade he had already decided to retire and take an executive position with a candy company (Mars I think) but had not announced the retirement because he had sold the rights to that story to Look, or Life magazine (I think he received $100K for the exclusive story).
Great article, Ron!
What happens if the dodgers go over the 233 luxury tax amount. If we went say to 250 what is the penalty for the 17 mil over?
That’s waaaaay past my pea-brained education, but I bet Jesse has that memorized. Jesse?
From MLB
Competitive Balance Tax
Definition
Each year, clubs that exceed a predetermined payroll threshold are subject to a Competitive Balance Tax — which is commonly referred to as a “luxury tax.” Those who carry payrolls above that threshold are taxed on each dollar above the threshold, with the tax rate increasing based on the number of consecutive years a club has exceeded the threshold.
A team’s Competitive Balance Tax figure is determined using the average annual value of each player’s contract on the 40-man roster, plus any additional player benefits. Every team’s final CBT figure is calculated at the end of each season. (Note: If a player signs a contract extension that doesn’t kick in until a later season, his AAV for the purposes of the CBT doesn’t change until the new deal begins.)
The following thresholds were put in place per the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement:
2022: $230 million
2023: $233 million
2024: $237 million
2025: $241 million
2026: $244 million
A club that exceeds the Competitive Balance Tax threshold is subject to an increasing tax rate depending on how many consecutive years it has done so.
First year: 20 percent tax on all overages
Second consecutive year: 30 percent
Third consecutive year or more: 50 percent
If a club dips below the luxury tax threshold for a season, the penalty level is reset. So, a club that exceeds the threshold for two straight seasons but then drops below that level would be back at 20 percent the next time it exceeds the threshold.
There’s also a surcharge threshold for clubs that exceed the base threshold by $20 million or more.
$20 million to $40 million: 12 percent surcharge
$40 million to $60 million: 42.5 percent surcharge for first year; 45 percent for each consecutive year after that
$60 million or more: 60 percent surcharge
Clubs that are $40 million or more above the threshold shall have their highest selection in the next Rule 4 Draft moved back 10 places unless the pick falls in the top six. In that case, the team will have its second-highest selection moved back 10 places instead.
Thanks Jesse.
I think it’s 90%.
@Dodgers He is talented, but an outspoken cheater. Regardless of talent level, he would not be welcomed with the respected Dodgers team by fans and players alike.
MLB investigated and determined that the 2018 Red Sox violated the rules on sign stealing (cheated). Wasn’t Mookie Betts a member of that team???? Did you have a problem with Rick Honeycutt as a Dodger pitcher and later pitching coach when he was caught in the act of using a thumbtack to cut baseballs while he was pitching?
after forty two years, ask me again about correa and i might have let it go 🙂
as for betts, i am 1000% in agreement. betts and altuve and the same products from my POV and i blame the commissioner for downplaying the sox. perhaps betts even apologized in the clubhouse or perhaps the fans care more than the players. i dont know, but i dont and wont cheer him. the difference with correa is his mouth and attitude about it. there are only three players left from 17 so i’m sure the fans care more about him.
It is all trivial. Correa’s cost is going to be way too high. Let the Giants sign him to a 10 year $350M contract. Play the kids and reset the CBT. Reassess at the trade deadline. We only need to win 90-92 games to make the playoffs.
Exactly
IMO, if you add Correa to the Giants and move Crawford to third or second they will be serious contenders for the NL West
So why don’t the dodgers make some moves.
Good question. But remember that Friedman’s MO is to take his time in making moves. I think the Bauer arbitration is holding up any decisions on expensive free agents and trades that would result in taking on significant payroll. If Dodgers are involved in multiple team trades — those always take additional time.
Can we atleast sign JT. Then we have a solid team.
starting lineup
Betts
Lux
freeman
W Smith
Muncy
JT
Outman
CT3
Urias
Kershaw
May
Gonsolin
Play Ball
@Dodgers Nope