The World Series champion Dodgers are signing free-agent left-hander Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal. The deal isn't straightforward, though, and diving into the minutia helps give a better idea as to how the Dodgers can continue improving their ballclub the rest of this offseason.

Snell’s five-year, $182 million contract reportedly includes approximately $65 million in deferred salary – the Dodgers’ latest use of the technique in negotiation big-money deals.

Indeed, the Dodgers have become such a desirable location that players are structuring contracts to ensure the team remains one. Shohei Ohtani famously took a salary of $2 million annually while deferring the rest of the biggest contract in the history of North American sports.