There’s always been a certain mystique to how the Los Angeles Dodgers operate. They’ve long been the franchise that plays chess while others are still learning checkers - finding creative ways to build superteams without blowing up their books. But now, with the full details of Edwin Díaz’s contract hitting the light of day, the Dodgers have crossed a line that feels less like clever accounting and more like uncharted financial territory.
Let’s call it what it is: the Dodgers now owe over $1 billion in deferred payments through 2047. That’s not payroll math or luxury tax gymnastics - that’s real money, real checks, owed to nine different players over the next two decades.
It’s a number so staggering, it reads more like the valuation of a small-market franchise than a line item on a balance sheet. And yet, here we are.
Edwin Díaz: The Latest Piece of the Puzzle
Díaz’s deal is the newest addition to this long-term ledger, and it’s anything but straightforward. On the surface, it’s a three-year, $69 million contract. But the structure tells a much different story.
He gets a $9 million signing bonus, and then annual salaries of $14 million in 2026, $23 million in 2027, and $23 million in 2028. But here’s the twist: $4.5 million from each of those seasons is deferred - not just by a few years, but across decades.
His 2026 salary won’t be fully paid until 2045. The 2028 money?
That stretches into 2047. By then, we could be watching baseball on Mars.
This isn’t just deferral - it’s time travel finance. And Díaz is far from alone.
The Growing Ledger of Deferred Stars
Díaz joins a growing club of Dodgers with long-term financial ties to the franchise. The list includes Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Blake Snell, Will Smith, Tommy Edman, Tanner Scott, and Teoscar Hernández. Each of them has a deal that kicks a portion of their salary far down the road - some into the late 2030s, others into the 2040s.
And the total number? $1.064 billion in deferred obligations.
That’s not just a big number - that’s a seismic shift in how a Major League team manages its payroll. It’s a strategy that no other club in baseball has dared to replicate at this scale.
What’s even more eye-opening is the peak years. In 2038 and 2039, the Dodgers will owe more than $102 million in deferred payments - before they spend a dime on new free agents, arbitration raises, or extensions for the next wave of stars. That’s a payroll anchor that could shape how they operate for years.
The Ohtani Effect - and What Comes After
Of course, Shohei Ohtani is the centerpiece of this financial experiment. His deal includes $680 million in deferred money, spread from 2034 to 2043.
That alone would be enough to raise eyebrows across the league. But the Dodgers didn’t stop there.
They kept stacking - Betts, Freeman, Snell, Smith, and now Díaz - building a roster that’s elite today but comes with a long-term tab.
This isn’t a one-off. It’s a full-on business model. And that’s where the real questions begin.
What happens if ownership changes hands in the next decade? What if team revenues dip?
What if Major League Baseball decides to crack down on the use of deferred contracts? What happens when fans are being sold on the next superstar while the team is still cutting checks to players who haven’t worn a Dodgers jersey in 10 years?
Winning Now, Paying Later
To be clear, this strategy does work - at least in the short term. Deferred money doesn’t count against the Competitive Balance Tax the same way up-front cash does.
That gives the Dodgers room to stack talent while staying under key tax thresholds. And with a franchise that generates massive revenue, they can afford to push payments into the future without blinking.
But even if this doesn’t hurt the team’s ability to win right now, it does raise philosophical questions. At what point does this stop being clever and start becoming a burden? At what point do the future obligations stop being theoretical and start shaping real decisions?
This isn’t about doom or disaster. The Dodgers aren’t broke.
They’re not reckless. But they are living in a financial reality that no other team in baseball is even approaching - a world where success today is tied to promises that stretch 20 years into the future.
A Bold Bet on the Future
There’s a reason players want to come to Los Angeles. The Dodgers pay well, they win consistently, and they treat their stars like royalty. But this new era of financial maneuvering adds a layer of intrigue - and maybe a little tension - to the equation.
This is still bold. Still brilliant.
Still very much the Dodgers being the Dodgers. But for the first time, it feels a little uncomfortable.
Not because it’s failing - but because it’s so far out in front of the rest of the league that no one knows exactly how it ends.
And that might be the most fascinating part of all.