Top 5 Payrolls are all .500 or under.

[Hamyltowne]

Written Tuesday. The Yankees have since improved to 2 games over. Still, they demonstrate, year after year, the declining marginal utility of the last 80 million dollars.

No team with a top-five payroll has a winning record and four are in last place

This obviously isn’t going to last all season, but right now it’s pretty damn startling to look at the standings and see that the five teams with the highest payrolls in MLB are all .500 or worse and four of them are currently in last place.

New York leads MLB with a $198 million payroll, yet the Yankees are 21-21 and tied for last place in the AL East with the Red Sox, who have MLB’s third-highest payroll at $173 million.

Philadelphia sits between them in payroll at $175 million and the Phillies are bringing up the rear in the NL East at 21-22. Similarly the Angels rank fourth with a $155 million payroll and are the AL West’s last-place team at 18-25. Detroit is the only top-five payroll to avoid last place, but the Tigers and their $132 million payroll aren’t exactly thriving with a 20-21 record that’s good for third place in the horrendous AL Central.

Add it all up and those five teams have spent around $833 million on players for this season, and after one quarter of the schedule they’re a combined 101-110 and 27 total games out of first place.

All of which makes me wonder: When it comes to the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Angels, and Phillies making the playoffs this season, how you would bet if the over/under was set at 2.5 teams? I’d likely still take the over.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/22/none-of-the-teams-with-mlbs-five-highest-payrolls-have-a-winning-record-and-four-are-in-last-place/

[UN-Owen]

Money can't buy an injury-free season

[Hamyltowne]

Money can't buy an injury-free season

Absolutely.

[flatjacket1]

Its still early, money and winning does have a strong correlation. You don't need money to win but it certainly doesn't hurt.

[xAIRNESSx]

Hopefully this isn't used as an excuse by the Jays, to not spend money.

[Hamyltowne]

Hopefully this isn't used as an excuse by the Jays, to not spend money.

No, but it will be used as an excuse to not give out contracts over 5 years.

[bigdirty]

Have the Jays given any reason why they didn't spend last offseason? I'm asking seriously, I haven't heard.

[BigLeagueChew]

Have the Jays given any reason why they didn't spend last offseason? I'm asking seriously, I haven't heard.

I'm sure there are many articles out there, I found this one by Stephen Brunt.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2012/03/18/stephen_brunt_toronto_blue_jays_alex_anthopoulos/

"I don’t want to use free agency to build a contender," Anthopoulos says "We want to be a contender and use free agency to continue being a contender. I’d rather stay out of it entirely. But we have the ability to do it at some time. That’s an avenue that we have where Tampa is a little bit restricted."

[Boner Champ]

You know who is also all under .500? the bottom 5 teams in payroll:

26. Pittsburgh Pirates $63,431,999 $2,187,310
27. Kansas City Royals $60,916,225 $2,030,540
28. Houston Astros $60,651,000 $2,332,730
29. Oakland Athletics $55,372,500 $1,845,750
30. San Diego Padres $55,244,700 $1,973,025

[Hamyltowne]

You know who is also all under .500? the bottom 5 teams in payroll:

26. Pittsburgh Pirates $63,431,999 $2,187,310
27. Kansas City Royals $60,916,225 $2,030,540
28. Houston Astros $60,651,000 $2,332,730
29. Oakland Athletics $55,372,500 $1,845,750
30. San Diego Padres $55,244,700 $1,973,025

So what?

[Randle McMurphy]

Won't be the case for long.

[Boner Champ]

You know who is also all under .500? the bottom 5 teams in payroll:

26. Pittsburgh Pirates $63,431,999 $2,187,310
27. Kansas City Royals $60,916,225 $2,030,540
28. Houston Astros $60,651,000 $2,332,730
29. Oakland Athletics $55,372,500 $1,845,750
30. San Diego Padres $55,244,700 $1,973,025

So what?

So, any attempt to show that spending money does not [usually] lead to a better baseball team (and that the opposite is true) is idiocy.

Its not rocket science.

[Hamyltowne]

You know who is also all under .500? the bottom 5 teams in payroll:

26. Pittsburgh Pirates $63,431,999 $2,187,310
27. Kansas City Royals $60,916,225 $2,030,540
28. Houston Astros $60,651,000 $2,332,730
29. Oakland Athletics $55,372,500 $1,845,750
30. San Diego Padres $55,244,700 $1,973,025

So what?

So, any attempt to show that spending money does not [usually] lead to a better baseball team (and that the opposite is true) is idiocy.

Its not rocket science.

Thanks, tips.

I don't recall seeing any signs, from any poster, of a tendency to think only in stark opposites. Up until now, of course. Glad you came on board to show us how it works.

Thanks again, tips!