Los Angeles Dodgers RUMORS: Zack Greinke Opt-Out Possibility, Failure to Land Cole Hamels in Trade Still Not Worrying Team

The Los Angeles Dodgers are paying $87.5 million to players that are no longer with the team and they'll have more pressing financial issues when the season ends. Starter Zack Greinke is expected to opt out of his contract and seek a new deal, which means the team will have to invest more in their rotation.

However, the Dodgers aren't worried. Rumors have suggested for quite a while that Greinke will be opting out to land one last lucrative contract before he's too old to do so (he'll be 32 in October). He's in the midst of a career year and leads the MLB with a 1.71 ERA, but that has not alarmed the front office to expedite potential contract extension talks.

Team president Stan Kasten appeared on MLB Network Radio with Jim Bowden and Jeff Joyce on Sunday morning and spoke about Greinke as well as the team's current financial situation. Here's what he said in a couple of tweets:

Kasten said he last spoke to Greinke about his opt-out in the spring. They are playing out the season & will worry about it in offseason
— MLB Network Radio (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 9, 2015

Kasten: We have a long-term plan & money that is spent this year will pay dividends in the future is not just a short-term expenditure
— MLB Network Radio (@MLBNetworkRadio) August 9, 2015

It's not entirely clear what that last statement meant considering the $87.5 million they are spending for players not on the team is "dead money" and cannot be allocated elsewhere. But that's neither here nor there.

Even though Kasten said the team is not worried about Greinke's possible departure in the offseason, other trade rumors indicated Philadelphia Phillies' ace Cole Hamels was their top target before the non-waiver deadline because of the insurance he'd provide beyond 2015.

"The Dodgers were said to have been much more aggressive in their pursuit of Cole Hamels than the other aces, Price and Cueto," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. "What they loved about Hamels was that he's under contract for three more years, which had the potential to give them a safety net (and perhaps a tiny bit of leverage) with Zack Greinke's opt-out an issue."

Los Angeles acquired two starting pitchers - Mat Latos and Alex Wood - at the deadline. Latos will be a free agent after this season, but Wood is under club control through 2019, which gives the team at least some reassurance for the foreseeable future. However, they'll still need to bolster the top of their rotation since nothing is guaranteed with Greinke's contract situation as well as the current recoveries of Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy from season-ending surgeries.

With a free-agent class consisting of Greinke, David Price, Johnny Cueto, Scott Kazmir, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija and others, the Dodgers will have many options to choose from. Other big market clubs such as the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and others will likely be searching for an elite starter in the offseason and Greinke has already been linked to the Giants in rumors.

The Dodgers will likely end up with a high-end starter when all is said and done, but who will it be?

They also need some bullpen help too.