Dodgers’ young core group looks solid

Not so long ago, they were kids trying to break into the major leagues.

Together, they survived a war of words with their older teammates to make the clubhouse theirs. Together, they went on the kind of playoff runs that were alien to an entire generation of Dodgers fans and started to win the kind of awards that turn solid ballplayers into stars.

And together, they became rich. Very rich.

“But there’s a responsibility that comes with it,” Andre Ethier said.

This winter, the so-called core of the Dodgers’ roster became the core of the Dodgers’ payroll as $49.2 million of the $65.7 million spent on major league contracts over the off-season went to six players: Ethier, Matt Kemp, Jonathan Broxton, Russell Martin, Chad Billingsley and James Loney.

Three of them signed two-year deals: Ethier ($15.25 million), Kemp ($10.95 million) and Broxton ($11 million), who reports to the Dodgers’ spring training complex in Phoenix on Saturday with the rest of the pitchers and catchers.

“It’s a big commitment on their part,” Ethier said. “Two more years at that value is a big commitment to make.”

Gone were the days when most, if not all, of the players mentioned above could be signed for barely more than the minimum salary of $400,000, providing General Manager Ned Colletti with the flexibility to sign high-profile free agents.

They let pitcher Randy Wolf and second baseman Orlando Hudson become free agents. They also traded fourth outfielder Juan Pierre to the Chicago White Sox, saving them $3 million.

The Dodgers’ most expensive free-agent signing of the winter turned out to be Vicente Padilla, who will earn $4.025 million. The other signings: Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard, Reed Johnson and Brad Ausmus.

The opening-day payroll will be in the low-$90-million area, which is where it was a season ago. That total includes an estimated $14.5 million in salary deferments to players no longer on their roster.

This comes against a backdrop of an NL West division that looks increasingly competitive. Only the Dodgers and doormat San Diego Padres will have lower opening-day payrolls than they did last season.

The highest payroll in the division now belongs to the San Francisco Giants, who will start the season owing their players around $100 million. Though the Giants did not acquire the big bat that would have made them the division favorites, they improved their offense by adding Mark DeRosa and Aubrey Huff to complement a rotation headed by Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.

“Every team in the division could be better,” Colletti said. “I think Arizona is better. I think Colorado is better offensively. I think it has a chance to be a very competitive division.”

The Rockies, who finished second to the Dodgers last year and won the wild card, are favored by many to win the West. They will start the season under Jim Tracy, whose promotion to manager from bench coach in late May coincided with their surge up the standings.

The Arizona Diamondbacks might be the division’s most improved club, trading for All-Star pitcher Edwin Jackson and signing Adam LaRoche. And two key players who missed most of last season -- pitcher Brandon Webb (22-7 and 3.30 earned-run average in 2008) and left fielder Conor Jackson -- are back.

So the Giants, Rockies and Diamondbacks look better than they did a year ago. Are the Dodgers a better team than they were at the end of last season?

“I don’t know,” Manager Joe Torre said. “We’ll see in spring training.”

The most obvious reason for concern is that they don’t have an ace.

Plus, Manny Ramirez and Rafael Furcal are coming off subpar seasons and could be reduced to becoming the supporting cast for Ethier and the other young Dodgers instead of the other way around. That is what happened last season, and it was a pleasant surprise. This season, it will be expected.

“As you gain more experience in this game, your salary increases, as well as your responsibilities,” Colletti said. “Your focus on winning increases. With that comes leadership opportunities.

“You can talk about it as much as you want, but at the end of the day, it’s up to them. It’s up to them how much they want to be great.”

That will was displayed last season.

Kemp won a Gold Glove in his first season as the Dodgers’ everyday center fielder and added a Silver Slugger by batting .297 with 26 home runs and 101 runs batted in. Ethier also won a Silver Slugger, hitting .272 with 31 home runs and 106 RBIs. Loney drove in 90 runs for the second consecutive season.

Billingsley and Broxton made their first All-Star teams, though both ended the season on painful notes, with Billingsley almost failing to make the playoff roster and Broxton blowing a save in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

The only player in that core group who regressed was Martin, who came nowhere near duplicating the form that made him an All-Star the two previous years.

Ethier said the financial security gained by the players should translate to better performances.

“Now, it’s almost easier just to concentrate on baseball,” he said. “You have to show up and play and not be complacent. I’m still going into spring training just like I have in the past -- to earn a spot and prove that I’m the everyday right fielder. I didn’t prepare any different this off-season. I have the confident feeling of knowing that there’s this commitment toward me, but at the same time, I have a lot to prove in this game and a lot to achieve.”

That the group has stayed together is another source of emotional security.

“We’re comfortable,” Kemp said. “We played with each other all through the minor leagues, did all the camps and everything we had to do to get to this point. I mean, once you get used to somebody, you definitely don’t want to break that up. That’s what makes the character of our team and the chemistry of our team so good.”

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com

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