Jamie Insalaco
Well, yeah… if you know what you’re doing. But as of Aug 16, when comparing wins with money spent, it looks like most teams are coming up short when it comes to return on investment. Check out these four teams that are all in the top 20 for 2012 salaries but have records under .500:
Philadelphia Phillies
Boston Red Sox
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
These clubs are not exactly getting bang for their buck. The Phillies and the Brewers are separated by nearly $77 million (or as we Yankee fans say, two and a half A-Rods) in payroll, yet the Phillies are only two wins better than the Brewers. Go figure.
As for folks who are squeezing every last bit out of each penny, it’s all about the following three clubs:
Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Bay Rays
Oakland Athletics
These clubs are all under $75 million in total salary and they’re both scratching at the playoffs and sporting records over .500. As Darth Vader would say, that is impressive – most impressive!
Here’s the money spent/wins tables, sorted for your convenience:
| sorted by total payroll | as of Aug 16, 2012 | |||
| # | TEAM | TOTAL PAYROLL | Wins | Losses |
| 1 | New York Yankees | $197,962,289 | 70 | 47 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Phillies | $174,538,938 | 54 | 63 |
| 3 | Boston Red Sox | $173,186,617 | 57 | 61 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Angels | $154,485,166 | 62 | 56 |
| 5 | Detroit Tigers | $132,300,000 | 63 | 55 |
| 6 | Texas Rangers | $120,510,974 | 67 | 49 |
| 7 | Miami Marlins | $118,078,000 | 53 | 65 |
| 8 | San Francisco Giants | $117,620,683 | 64 | 54 |
| 9 | St. Louis Cardinals | $110,300,862 | 64 | 53 |
| 10 | Milwaukee Brewers | $97,653,944 | 52 | 64 |
| 11 | Chicago White Sox | $96,919,500 | 64 | 52 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $95,143,575 | 65 | 53 |
| 13 | Minnesota Twins | $94,085,000 | 50 | 67 |
| 14 | New York Mets | $93,353,983 | 55 | 62 |
| 15 | Chicago Cubs | $88,197,033 | 46 | 70 |
| 16 | Atlanta Braves | $83,309,942 | 68 | 49 |
| 17 | Cincinnati Reds | $82,203,616 | 71 | 46 |
| 18 | Seattle Mariners | $81,978,100 | 55 | 64 |
| 19 | Baltimore Orioles | $81,428,999 | 64 | 53 |
| 20 | Washington Nationals | $81,336,143 | 73 | 45 |
| 21 | Cleveland Indians | $78,430,300 | 54 | 64 |
| 22 | Colorado Rockies | $78,069,571 | 44 | 71 |
| 23 | Toronto Blue Jays | $75,489,200 | 55 | 62 |
| 24 | Arizona Diamondbacks | $74,284,833 | 58 | 59 |
| 25 | Tampa Bay Rays | $64,173,500 | 63 | 54 |
| 26 | Pittsburgh Pirates | $63,431,999 | 64 | 53 |
| 27 | Kansas City Royals | $60,916,225 | 51 | 65 |
| 28 | Houston Astros | $60,651,000 | 39 | 80 |
| 29 | Oakland Athletics | $55,372,500 | 61 | 55 |
| 30 | San Diego Padres | $55,244,700 | 52 | 67 |
| sorted by wins | ||||
| # | TEAM | TOTAL PAYROLL | Wins | Losses |
| 1 | Washington Nationals | $81,336,143 | 73 | 45 |
| 2 | Cincinnati Reds | $82,203,616 | 71 | 46 |
| 3 | New York Yankees | $197,962,289 | 70 | 47 |
| 4 | Atlanta Braves | $83,309,942 | 68 | 49 |
| 5 | Texas Rangers | $120,510,974 | 67 | 49 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $95,143,575 | 65 | 53 |
| 7 | San Francisco Giants | $117,620,683 | 64 | 54 |
| 8 | St. Louis Cardinals | $110,300,862 | 64 | 53 |
| 9 | Chicago White Sox | $96,919,500 | 64 | 52 |
| 10 | Baltimore Orioles | $81,428,999 | 64 | 53 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Pirates | $63,431,999 | 64 | 53 |
| 12 | Detroit Tigers | $132,300,000 | 63 | 55 |
| 13 | Tampa Bay Rays | $64,173,500 | 63 | 54 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Angels | $154,485,166 | 62 | 56 |
| 15 | Oakland Athletics | $55,372,500 | 61 | 55 |
| 16 | Arizona Diamondbacks | $74,284,833 | 58 | 59 |
| 17 | Boston Red Sox | $173,186,617 | 57 | 61 |
| 18 | New York Mets | $93,353,983 | 55 | 62 |
| 19 | Seattle Mariners | $81,978,100 | 55 | 64 |
| 20 | Toronto Blue Jays | $75,489,200 | 55 | 62 |
| 21 | Philadelphia Phillies | $174,538,938 | 54 | 63 |
| 22 | Cleveland Indians | $78,430,300 | 54 | 64 |
| 23 | Miami Marlins | $118,078,000 | 53 | 65 |
| 24 | Milwaukee Brewers | $97,653,944 | 52 | 64 |
| 25 | San Diego Padres | $55,244,700 | 52 | 67 |
| 26 | Kansas City Royals | $60,916,225 | 51 | 65 |
| 27 | Minnesota Twins | $94,085,000 | 50 | 67 |
| 28 | Chicago Cubs | $88,197,033 | 46 | 70 |
| 29 | Colorado Rockies | $78,069,571 | 44 | 71 |
| 30 | Houston Astros | $60,651,000 | 39 | 80 |
