Editor's note: Yahoo! Sports will examine the offseason of every MLB team before spring training begins in mid-February. Our series continues with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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2012 record: 86-76

Finish: Second, NL West

2012 final payroll: $129.1 million

Estimated 2013 opening day payroll: $210 million

Yahoo! Sports offseason rank: 3

Hashtags: #nedsrevenge #ryutheman #donnielameduck #CCsTJ #whosonthird #5050 #WSorbust











OFFSEASON ACTION

When the Dodgers opened the 2012 season in San Diego, the day Frank McCourt and Magic Johnson sat beside each other and shared a large popcorn (not really) near the third-base dugout, Dee Gordon was at shortstop, Juan Rivera in left field, James Loney at first base and Juan Uribe at third. Clayton Kershaw was the starting pitcher, of course, and the next day he'd be followed by Chad Billingsley.

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In an offseason that started mid-summer – not because the Dodgers were that bad, but because the Dodgers had become that rich – times and lineups have changed. Assuming everyone shows up and gets/stays healthy, the Dodgers will open against the San Francisco Giants with Hanley Ramirez at shortstop (or third), Carl Crawford in left field (perhaps), Adrian Gonzalez at first base and probably not Uribe at third. When Kershaw is done, it will be Zack Greinke's turn to start. When all the accounting is done, including cutting the luxury-tax check, the Dodgers will have spent something close to $250 million on payroll and payroll-related costs.

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This is a franchise that only a few years back couldn't afford Casey Blake. In 2013, the Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez $8.3 million and Andruw Jones $3.2 million and still swing the biggest wallet on the block. A television deal worth up to $8 billion over 20 years hasn't even kicked in yet.

After taking on the contracts of Gonzalez, Crawford, Josh Beckett and Hanley Ramirez, and already having extended Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier's contracts, and with Kershaw under club control for two more seasons, the Dodgers still went aggressively after Greinke. Because Chad Billingsley suffered from a partially torn elbow ligament last season and generally isn't anybody's No. 2 anyway, and because Beckett is something of a mystery, the Dodgers believed they needed a starter of heft behind Kershaw. Six years and $147 million later, Greinke is that hefty starter.

[Also: Angels have no excuses for a quiet October with Pujols and Hamilton]

Otherwise, they committed $36 million to Korean lefty Ryu Hyun-Jin, $22.5 million to reliever Brandon League, $2.85 million to reliever J.P. Howell, and traded for utilityman Skip Schumaker.

When the first Dodgers arrive at Camelback Ranch, eight of them will be legit starting pitchers, including Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and, if healthy, Ted Lilly. It's possible, therefore, the Dodgers' offseason will extend well into spring training.

Story continues