Following their acquisition of infielder Chase Utley, the Dodgers are close to becoming the first MLB team with a $300 million payroll.
The Dodgers' luxury-tax team salary went up to $298.5 million with the addition of Utley's $15 million salary, according to MLB's calculations. Multiple players could receive incentive bonuses at season's end, so that number could jump over $300 million, according to The Associated Press.
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The National League West-leading Dodgers already were well above the $189 million tax threshold. They will pay a 40 percent rate for exceeding the mark for the third straight year with a projected fee of $44 million, which would surpass the record $34 million paid by the Yankees after the 2005 season.
The Dodgers will play Utley $2.13 million for the remainder of his 2015 salary and have the option of picking up his $11 million salary for next year. Four Dodgers — starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, outfielder Carl Crawford and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez — have salaries exceeding $20 million per year with Kershaw topping the list at $32 million this season.