SF Comical Proclaims Dodgers Vulnerable

If it's an arms race in the payroll category, the SF Comical's John Shea says that the Giants now have a window of opportunity to catch the Dodgers, who have finished ahead of the Giants each of the last four years:

According to preliminary indications, the Giants' payroll will approach $100 million ($96-ish million, excluding $5 million deferred for Barry Bonds). The Dodgers' will slip below $100 million following decisions to dump Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson and Juan Pierre and to not sign big-name free agents.

That leaves the Dodgers anywhere between $80 million (based on one report, taking into account half of Ramirez's $20 million salary is deferred) to somewhere in the 90s.

USA Today records year-by-year payrolls on its Web site, and 2010 would be only the second year since the 1994-95 strike that the Giants' payroll topped the Dodgers'.

In the teams' California era, the Dodgers have bullied the Giants with more pitching, more spending and more world championships (five to zero), but the Giants suddenly have a window of opportunity with superior pitching and a hope, finally, for some decent homegrown hitting. [...]

It's an eye-opener for Giants fans. Now it's up to the team, on the field and in the front office, to take advantage of the Dodgers' vulnerability.

I know, oh my god maybe I should go start a Giants blog and report this news on that blog. I do like to keep an eye on our divisional rivals, though--but even as mediocre as I'm feeling about the Dodgers' returning squad this year, I am not that worried about the Giants and their own payroll liabilities and similar lack of big-name free agents (no, I'm not counting Aaron Rowand).