Slayed Mailbag No. 1

You asked about sports, music and life. You know me so well ...

The first Slayed by Voices mailbag is a success, providing a nice selection of questions. No need to wait. Let’s conversate.

Will Albers: Hi Jon, Should we sign Ohtani? And if we should, what would you be willing to give up for him? Letting Urias or Kersh walk? Paying more at the gate, parking, or for your Dodger dog? How far over the cap should we go? Regards, will

Me: Hi, Will. First of all, my Rule No. 1 for the Dodgers is that they never let Kershaw walk unless it is into retirement. He finishes his career with in Los Angeles or else. Beyond that, his usual one-year salary isn’t going to mean anything next to an Ohtani contract.

In fact, except for Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers don’t have any salary commitments for 2024 above $20 million per year. In a real-world sense, there is absolutely room to pay both Julio Urías and Shohei Ohtani. With pre-free agent talent at several positions, the Dodgers will have plenty of payroll flexibility.

Moreover, regardless of whether Ohtani comes, the Dodgers are always going to charge as much as possible for tickets, food and parking.