Dodgers Loading Up on Strong Arms with Greinke and Ryu

The Dodgers were one of the few teams in the MLB making plenty of deadline deals last season in last ditch effort playoff push. The results were less than desirable, as the boys in blue failed to make the playoffs, but the reason was mostly due to the Giants simply playing better en route to their World Series Championship. This year, LA is making sure it doesn’t happen again by winning the offseason arms race in preparation for another heated down-to-the-wire finish in the NL West.

Greinke and Ryu join Kershaw and Beckett to form what is arguably the strongest rotation in the Bigs

Although the Dodgers already have a solid starting rotation heading into the 2013 campaign, with the likes of Josh Beckett, Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano and ace Clayton Kershaw, they are stocking up on big arms this offseason and after signing Zack Greinke and Korean star Hyun-Jin-Ryu over the weekend, they now have a team record payroll of $230 million.

The Dodgers agreed to terms with Greinke for six years and $147 million. Greinke, a one-time Cy Young Award-winner, will likely become the No.2 man in the rotation behind Kershaw. Greinke went 15-5, posting a 3.48 ERA with the Angels last season.

But LA didn’t stop there, signing high-profile flame thrower Ryu on Sunday to six-year deal worth $36 million. The Dodgers paid a fee of $26 million just for the exclusive right to negotiate with Ryu and barely finished the deal before the 5:00 p.m. Sunday deadline expired. If the Dodgers hadn’t made a deal with Ryu in time, he would have returned to his team in Korea, the Hanwha Eagles.

The Dodgers bought the exclusive right to negotiate with Ryu

“We are excited to welcome Hyun-Jin Ryu to Los Angeles and the United States, continuing the tradition of Korean pitchers with the Dodger organization,” Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a statement released Sunday via ESPN.com.

With these new signings, the Dodgers may have the best starting rotation in baseball and with the productive hitters they already have in store, 2013 looks to be a great year for the LA Dodgers. And even if they face some injuries in the rotation, they also have Chad Billingsley and Ted Lily waiting in tow.