Dbackszone.com | Arizona Diamondbacks News, diamondbacks Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>When Frank McCourt was approved as owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the rest of the NL West welcomed his addition.</div>McCourt is wealthy, but he was maxed out after coming up with the money to purchase one of the game's most noted teams. Fellow owners were relieved that a West Coast version of the free-spending Red Sox and Yankees would be limited in exploiting its financial base because McCourt could not simply infuse his personal wealth into the payroll.So what's been going in in recent weeks? How have the Dodgers been able to add the salaries of Casey Blake, Manny Ramirez and Greg Maddux to a payroll that already ranked second in the NL — seventh overall — when the season opened?Simple — they haven't. Instead, the competition has underwritten the roster reinforcement of the Dodgers.Oh, the Dodgers did pick up slightly less than $1 million of the $2.2 million left on the contract of Maddux, who was acquired from San Diego on Monday. But along with Ramirez, Boston shipped the Dodgers $7 million to cover the left fielder's remaining salary, and Cleveland agreed to pick up the remaining salary of Blake in order to make sure it acquired the quality of prospects that it wanted in return.<li> Tampa Bay is the working man's team. With 44 games remaining this season, the team reached the 71-win level for the first time in franchise history. This is a team that finished higher than last place only once in its first decade — they managed a fourth-place finish when they won that previous franchise record 70 games in 2004. They've also ranked either 29th or 30th in payroll each of the last seven seasons.But there was a feeling of sympathy throughout baseball when, in the span of a weekend, the Rays lost OF Carl Crawford for the rest of the regular season with a torn tendon in his right hand, rookie third base sensation Evan Longoria with a broken bone in his right wrist, and closer Troy Percival to continuing soreness.The good news for the Rays is that the computers over at Baseball Prospectus are still picking them as having a 94 percent shot at the postseason even if the cynics look at the loss of Crawford and Longoria and wonder what player will be sidelined next. There are some flasbacks to teams such as the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays, who lost shortstop Tony Fernandez with nine games to play and catcher Buck Martinez with six games to play, and never recovered, losing their final seven including a sweep in Detroit.And don't forget the 1983 Atlanta Braves, who lost Bob Horner and his 20 home runs and 68 RBI on Aug. 15 with a broken wrist. The team promptly lost 27 of its final 44 games, going from 5½ games up to three games back.So Tampa Bay is now attempting to rebound from the worst record in baseball last year to the postseason this year, something that only Minnesota (1991) has ever done. There have, however, been eight teams that finished last in a division one year and got to the postseason the next year, including Arizona and Colorado, which tied for last place in NL West in 2006. The five others, in addition to the 1991 Twins, were the 1991 Braves, who lost to Minnesota in World Series; the 1993 Phillies, who lost to Toronto in the World Series; the 1997 Giants who lost to Florida in the Division Series; the 1998 Padres who lost to Houston in the Division Series, and the 1999 Diamondbacks who lost to Mets in the Division Series.<li> So-called small market teams made a big pitch in the amateur draft this year. Kansas City ranked No. 1 in terms of money spent on signing players from the first 10 rounds of the draft with $10.165 million, followed by Tampa Bay with $9.4 million. Boston slipped in at No. 3 with $9 million with San Francisco ($8.7 million) and Pittsburgh ($8.3 million) rounding out the top five.The Yankees figured they had a challenge when they drafted RHP Cole Gerrit in the first round, especially considering he was being advised by agent Scott Boras, but word is Boras was not to blame for Gerrit opting to attend UCLA instead of signing. Cole's family didn't even want the Yankees to make an initial offer. He's the first high school player who opted for college after being selected in the first round since John Mayberry, Jr., turned down Seattle to attend Stanford in 2002. The only other team that lost out on its No. 1 pick was Washington. RHP Aaron Crow of Missouri, the No. 9 pick overall, opted instead to sign with the independent league Fort Worth Cats, looking to increase his value in next year's draft. Seattle hasn't signed RHP Joshua Fields of Georgia, the 20th pick overall, but because Fields was a senior, the Mariners didn't face the Aug. 15 signing deadline. Instead, they have until a week before next year's draft because Fields didn't have college eligibility remaining.<li> With Detroit owner Mike Ilitch's disappointment in the Tigers, there is talk he could decide to cut this year's $138 million payroll to below $100 million, which could force a trade of OF Magglio Ordonez, who will make $18 million next year and has a $15 million potentially vesting option for 2010 and 2011. ... Pat Gillick may be set to retire in Philadelphia, but there's continued talk that he could be convinced to become team president — if not general manager — in Seattle, where he and his wife now make their home. ... In addition to the Cubs, teams that are expected to be available at the right price include St. Louis, Houston and Seattle. ... Speculation around the Nationals is vice president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo is set to replace Jim Bowden as general manager.

When Frank McCourt was approved as owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the rest of the NL West welcomed his addition.

McCourt is wealthy, but he was maxed out after coming up with the money to purchase one of the game's most noted teams. Fellow owners were relieved that a West Coast version of the free-spending Red Sox and Yankees would be limited in exploiting its financial base because McCourt could not simply infuse his personal wealth into the payroll.

So what's been going in in recent weeks? How have the Dodgers been able to add the salaries of Casey Blake, Manny Ramirez and Greg Maddux to a payroll that already ranked second in the NL — seventh overall — when the season opened?

Simple — they haven't. Instead, the competition has underwritten the roster reinforcement of the Dodgers.

Oh, the Dodgers did pick up slightly less than $1 million of the $2.2 million left on the contract of Maddux, who was acquired from San Diego on Monday. But along with Ramirez, Boston shipped the Dodgers $7 million to cover the left fielder's remaining salary, and Cleveland agreed to pick up the remaining salary of Blake in order to make sure it acquired the quality of prospects that it wanted in return.

Tampa Bay is the working man's team. With 44 games remaining this season, the team reached the 71-win level for the first time in franchise history. This is a team that finished higher than last place only once in its first decade — they managed a fourth-place finish when they won that previous franchise record 70 games in 2004. They've also ranked either 29th or 30th in payroll each of the last seven seasons.

But there was a feeling of sympathy throughout baseball when, in the span of a weekend, the Rays lost OF Carl Crawford for the rest of the regular season with a torn tendon in his right hand, rookie third base sensation Evan Longoria with a broken bone in his right wrist, and closer Troy Percival to continuing soreness.

The good news for the Rays is that the computers over at Baseball Prospectus are still picking them as having a 94 percent shot at the postseason even if the cynics look at the loss of Crawford and Longoria and wonder what player will be sidelined next.

There are some flasbacks to teams such as the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays, who lost shortstop Tony Fernandez with nine games to play and catcher Buck Martinez with six games to play, and never recovered, losing their final seven including a sweep in Detroit.

And don't forget the 1983 Atlanta Braves, who lost Bob Horner and his 20 home runs and 68 RBI on Aug. 15 with a broken wrist. The team promptly lost 27 of its final 44 games, going from 5½ games up to three games back.

So Tampa Bay is now attempting to rebound from the worst record in baseball last year to the postseason this year, something that only Minnesota (1991) has ever done. There have, however, been eight teams that finished last in a division one year and got to the postseason the next year, including Arizona and Colorado, which tied for last place in NL West in 2006. The five others, in addition to the 1991 Twins, were the 1991 Braves, who lost to Minnesota in World Series; the 1993 Phillies, who lost to Toronto in the World Series; the 1997 Giants who lost to Florida in the Division Series; the 1998 Padres who lost to Houston in the Division Series, and the 1999 Diamondbacks who lost to Mets in the Division Series.

So-called small market teams made a big pitch in the amateur draft this year. Kansas City ranked No. 1 in terms of money spent on signing players from the first 10 rounds of the draft with $10.165 million, followed by Tampa Bay with $9.4 million. Boston slipped in at No. 3 with $9 million with San Francisco ($8.7 million) and Pittsburgh ($8.3 million) rounding out the top five.

The Yankees figured they had a challenge when they drafted RHP Cole Gerrit in the first round, especially considering he was being advised by agent Scott Boras, but word is Boras was not to blame for Gerrit opting to attend UCLA instead of signing. Cole's family didn't even want the Yankees to make an initial offer. He's the first high school player who opted for college after being selected in the first round since John Mayberry, Jr., turned down Seattle to attend Stanford in 2002.

The only other team that lost out on its No. 1 pick was Washington. RHP Aaron Crow of Missouri, the No. 9 pick overall, opted instead to sign with the independent league Fort Worth Cats, looking to increase his value in next year's draft. Seattle hasn't signed RHP Joshua Fields of Georgia, the 20th pick overall, but because Fields was a senior, the Mariners didn't face the Aug. 15 signing deadline. Instead, they have until a week before next year's draft because Fields didn't have college eligibility remaining.

With Detroit owner Mike Ilitch's disappointment in the Tigers, there is talk he could decide to cut this year's $138 million payroll to below $100 million, which could force a trade of OF Magglio Ordonez, who will make $18 million next year and has a $15 million potentially vesting option for 2010 and 2011. ... Pat Gillick may be set to retire in Philadelphia, but there's continued talk that he could be convinced to become team president — if not general manager — in Seattle, where he and his wife now make their home. ... In addition to the Cubs, teams that are expected to be available at the right price include St. Louis, Houston and Seattle. ... Speculation around the Nationals is vice president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo is set to replace Jim Bowden as general manager.