The lessons of the Dodgers' and Blue Jays' massively expensive failures

A winning team simply requires too many above-average parts to staff them all via trade or free agency

The Los Angeles Dodgers spent $147 million on Zack Greinke. Now he's out with a fractured collarbone.
(Image credit: Harry How/Getty Images)

$334 million doesn't go as far as it used to.

Last offseason, as most baseball teams refused to shell out big bucks for free agents, two teams — Toronto and Los Angeles — went for broke. The Blue Jays (2013 payroll: $118 million) and Dodgers ($226 million) made waves all winter, acquiring enough big-name players to turn their rosters into All-Star teams. The Jays took a team that finished fourth in the AL East with a mere 73 wins and added so much talent that analysts fell over themselves to crown Toronto the 2013 division champ. Los Angeles, meanwhile, added pieces to what was rapidly becoming baseball's biggest money pile; they, too, were expected to be postseason contenders.

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Jon Tayler is a freelance journalist and associate producer for SI.com. His work has appeared in the Miami New Times, the Seattle Times, and Columbia College Today. You can find more of his work at jontayler.com.