"For a team on a tight budget, the Dodgers were surprisingly active at the first day of baseball's winter meetings, signing utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. and working toward a deal with starting pitcher Aaron Harang.

The Dodgers were able to fit Hairston into their payroll by persuading him to do what Mark Ellis and Chris Capuano did this off-season: take less money for the upcoming year in exchange for an inflated payday the following season.

Of the $6 million Hairston is guaranteed over the next two years, he will receive $2.25 million in 2012 and $3.75 million in 2013."