Will payroll shackle Andrew Friedman’s impact on 2015 Dodgers?

The Dodgers have been having organizational meetings this week in Phoenix and there is certainly plenty to do.

New baseball operations chief Andrew Friedman has to hire a general manager, a farm director and figure out which front office types he’s retaining and which might be politely thanked for their service.

And then there’s the roster.

That would be a roster that was a record $240 million last year, a number it seems Dodgers’ ownership clearly would like to trim with the hiring of Friedman, he of the most-bang-for-the-buck small-market background.

Yet the main pieces of the 2015 roster seem fairly set. He can shake up the supplemental pieces, but unless the Dodgers are ready to eat some very serious contracts, their core will return.

Which is not to say Friedman won’t shake things up if he can. But if he looks at the roster a few years out, he cannot be a happy man. He’s going to have a lot of players making big bucks in the downward cycle of their careers:

-- Zack Greinke, 31, still has four years and $94 million left on his contract, if he doesn’t opt out after next season.

-- Adrian Gonzalez, 32, four years and $85 million.

-- Matt Kemp, 30, five years and $108 million.

-- Carl Crawford, 33, three years and $62.25 million.

-- Andre Ethier, 32, four years and $71 million.

-- Clayton Kershaw, 27, six years and $193 million.

That’s more than $610 million owed to just six players. If none are traded, they’ll all still be on the roster heading into the 2017 season and averaging almost 33 years of age.

I’m thinking that doesn’t fit Friedman’s master plan, whatever it is. Even operating under the assumption he’s going to make payroll adjustments now that he’s in the big city, he can’t be thrilled with what he sees down the line.

Trading any of the six would be extremely difficult, not that he would have any interest in trading Kershaw. The obvious solution is to trade one of their extra outfielders, and right now that’s Ethier.

But Ethier’s trade value had to plummet when he was relegated to the bench in the second half of the season. His final numbers (.249, 4 HR, 42 RBI, .691 on-base/slugging percentages) and amount still owed on his contract make him difficult to deal.

If they eat half his contract to make a deal, they’re likely to receive only a middling prospect in return. If it takes another $10 million to $15 million to eat in contract to land a top prospect, do they do it? Is Friedman ready to spend that kind of money on a prospect?

Friedman probably figured he’d have newfound roster flexibility coming to the Dodgers, but must feel a bit handcuffed by those huge contracts he inherited. And all but Kemp’s were approved by Guggenheim.

Those expecting big changes in the team under Friedman next season just might be severely disappointed.