When the new ownership group took over, they spent a lot of money to get rid of bad contracts. So for years, their payroll was high, but a large chunk of it was going to guys no longer on the team.

Last year is a good example. On opening day, the payroll for the Dodgers’ 25 man roster was 99 million. The Astros’ was 147 million. But the Dodgers were paying an additional 52 million to guys not even playing.

The guys doing the actual winning these last 7 years are mostly young guys that aren’t getting paid a lot, with a few obvious exceptions like Kershaw and Jansen. Very similar to how the Astros have built their team. Both teams are a far cry from the Yankees who sign high-dollar free agents every season.