Frank McCourt and the Dodgers have obtained advance money from Fox in order to cover off-season operating expenses. From the article:

"It is unclear whether the cash advance indicates the Dodgers are in immediate financial peril, but a sports industry consultant said the timing was curious, given that team expenses are lower out of season than during the season.

The Dodgers had projected revenue of $279 million last year and $287 million this year, according to court documents. Fox owes the Dodgers $35 million for television rights this year, $37 million next year and $39 million in 2013, according to the documents."

Also from the article:

"Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon has certified as final the ruling in which he threw out a marital property agreement that would have provided McCourt with sole ownership of the Dodgers."

I think those who insist that the Dodgers are a cash cow and won't be on shaky financial ground are going to have to re-evaluate that opinion as long as Frank McCourt is anywhere near the team. His lawyers are going to try a different tactic as it relates to who owns the team, but they have yet to specify what that's going to be. All anyone knows is that it will involve an entirely new court case and a lot more in lawyer fees, something that hamstrung Frank during the divorce proceedings.

However, this doesn't mean that other teams can start lining up at the Dodger Buffett of available players just yet. McCourt told Ned Colletti to go out and spend like a drunken sailor during the off-season to dispel the rumors they were broke, and Uncle Ned came back with such gems as Juan Uribe for three years, $21M, 35 year old Ted Lilly, three years, $30M, 36 year old Hiroki Kuroda one year $12M, 35 year old Rod Barajas one year $3.25M (he's expected to start), Jon Garland one year $5M, and Vicente Padilla one year $2M. They've also collected Dioner Navarro, Juan Castro and Tony Gwynn, Jr. off the scrap heap while letting Russell Martin go for nothing and trading Ryan Theriot to the Cardinals for pitcher Blake Hawksworth. If McCourt allows Ned to trade Ethier, Loney, Kershaw, etc., it's raising the white flag, and his public posture on that so far has been that he never will do that.

Their rotation isn't bad, but projected 3B Casey Blake turns 38 in August, they have no left fielder, they expect a full year at 2B from Uribe, Rafael Furcal is 33, Matt Kemp is in danger of going into permanent career sulk, and did I mention they expect Barajas to be the everyday catcher? And if not him, Navarro?

But they still have Vin Scully, who turned 83 in November. It doesn't cost anything to listen to him.