Los Angeles Dodgers: Have Dodgers Overspent on Team That Won't Win the NL West?

Have the Los Angeles Dodgers spent way too much money on a team that will not win the National League West in 2013?

They sure made a huge splash last season by acquiring some of the Boston Red Sox's biggest names—and salaries.  

With guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford joining the team last season, the Dodgers new ownership group didn't stop there this offseason.

With the recent signings of starting pitcher Zack Greinke to a six-year, $147 million deal and South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-Jin to a six-year deal worth $36 million, the Dodgers are on pace to have an opening day payroll of $213.8 million—beating the record, opening-day payroll of $209.1 million set by the New York Yankees in 2008.  

If history has taught us anything, it isn't always the team that spends the most that wins the ultimate prize.  

The Yankees didn't even make the playoffs in 2008, finishing third in the American League East behind the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

In 2010, the Yankees had a team payroll of $206.3 million, and though they made the playoffs that year, they were taken down by the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series.

While the Dodgers look to end the Yankees streak of 14 years with the highest payroll in baseball, this doesn't necessarily mean that they will make it to the playoffs—let alone win the National League West.

The San Francisco Giants are coming off of two World Series wins in the last three years and the San Diego Padres have a young and hungry group of players—largely unchanged from last year—that ended the 2012 season with a 49-37 record over their final 86 games. Both teams look poised to be a threat in the National League West next year.  

Though the Dodgers made most of these wonderful additions to their team last season, they still didn't make the playoffs.

Let's also not forget about their recent history of injuries.  

Crawford is recovering from an August Tommy John surgery, Chad Billingsley is suffering from a partially torn right elbow ligament, Javy Guerra had right shoulder surgery in November, Kenley Jensen was suffering from an irregular heartbeat, Matt Kemp had left shoulder surgery in October and starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw was dealing with right hip inflammation.

All these factors aside, you still have to like what the Dodgers new ownership has done for the team and have to tip your hat to the determination they have for putting a winning team back on the field in Los Angeles.

But will the big bucks be enough to win it all in 2013?  

We shall see.