When it comes to putting together an MLB team, it’s not how much money you spend: it’s how you spend it.
It is not obligatory to have a $200 million payroll to compete in MLB: just ask the Baltimore Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Cincinnati Reds.
Additionally, a $200 million payroll won’t guarantee you a spot in the postseason: just ask the New York Mets, the New York Yankees, and the San Diego Padres.
The Athletic’s Jordan Moore offered a breakdown of the highest and lowest payrolls in MLB and how are they doing relative to their playoff chances.
3 of the 5 teams with the lowest payrolls in baseball are in a playoff spot as of 8/17:
❌ A’s: $57M
✅ Orioles: $61M
✅ Rays: $73M
❌ Pirates: $73M
✅ Reds: $83MThe top 3 with the highest payrolls aren’t in a playoff spot:
❌ Mets: $344M
❌ Yankees: $279M
❌ Padres: $253M pic.twitter.com/pz4g92n1w9— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) August 17, 2023
When it comes to the top three payrolls, no team is currently occupying a playoff spot right now: the Mets, Yankees, and Padres rank no better than fourth in their respective divisions.
Now, three of the five cheapest rosters in baseball would make it into October if the regular season ended today: the Orioles, Rays, and Reds.
Of course, it took years of losing for the O’s and Reds to put together their current cores, but the Rays are the perfect proof that identifying and nurturing young talent year after year might help teams skip the losing years and remain competitive over time.
As for the Yanks, Mets, and Padres (and the St. Louis Cardinals, to a lesser extent), they need to become more creative in the roster-building process and prioritize restocking their farm systems to really put together a sustainable team.
They all have demanding fanbases, but they should enter a bit of a transition year in 2024 in most cases.
What they do in the offseason will likely shape their short and medium-term futures.
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