The Smart and the Stupid: MLB Teams Payrolls Compared to VIctories

 

The Orioles spent $700,000 for each win during the 2023 regular season. The Mighty Mets spent more than six times as much: $4.6 million per win.

Smart vs. Stupid: This is my sixth year measuring MLB team efficiencies: Payroll divided by victories. I use Spotrac for payroll, because it includes all paid players, even those no longer on the active roster.

This year’s post-season was a bit weird: The big-win teams in the regular season – Braves, Dodgers, Orioles, Rays – collapsed in the playoffs, taken over by wild-card teams on hot streaks. 

The big-spending Rangers -- $251 million payroll – paid $2.8 million per regular season victory.

The frugal D-backs spent $119 million, just a bit more than the Marlins’ $105 M. The Snakes and Fish each had 84 wins in the regular season, Miami spending $1.25 M per win, Arizona $1.4 M (half as much as the Rangers). During the playoffs, Arizona got hot. The Fish did not.

Looking back over the six years, what impresses me is that some teams are consistently smart on how they spend their money – and some teams are astoundingly stupid year after year.

 The Rays regularly reach the playoffs despite low budgets caused by dreadful attendance. For the past four years, the Orioles have had good efficiency – low cost per win – and finally made the playoffs this year.

Then there are the Pirates and A’s: Great bargains in cost-per-win, but not a whiff of playoffs. Each spent roughly $1 million per win.

Contrast that with teams like the Angels and Mets, who consistently spend huge amounts for naught. This year, the five teams that spent the most per win didn’t make the playoffs: Rockies ($2.9 million per win), Padres ($3.1 M), Angels ($3.15 M), Yankees ($3,4 M) and the Mets at an astonishing $4.6 million per win.

The Mets set an all-time record for payroll at $343 million, almost five times the Orioles’ $71 million.

The Yanks at least made the playoffs five of the six years, though the top spot they always seek keeps eluding them. The Padres got there twice in the same period.  The Mets once. The Angels, determinedly bad in cost-per-wins year after year, have not been in the playoffs since 2014, perhaps an example of the old saying that insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting different results.

The World Champ Rangers are an interesting case. They had the fourth highest payroll – behind only the Mets, Yankees and Padres. Yet $96M of their $251M was injured reserve, led by deGrom at $30 million. Seager ($35.5 million) was a major factor for their success, but so were Evan Carter (adjusted salary $89,033 because he had less than 100 AB when he came up at the end of the season), Josh Jung ($721,000), Leodys Taveras $733,000, Josh Sborz $733,000 and Adolis Garcia $747,000. Then, even with super-stud Garcia injured, Bochy somehow made it all work.

 

TEAM	PAYR0LL	WINS	$ PER WIN	2023
Baltimore Orioles	$71,061,047	101	$703,574.72	1
Tampa Bay Rays	$79,354,272	99	$801,558.30	2
Pittsburgh Pirates	$68,945,975	76	$907,183.88	3
Cincinnati Reds	$96,577,288	82	$1,177,771.80	4
Cleveland Guardians	$91,861,627	76	$1,208,705.62	5
Oakland Athletics	$62,243,227	50	$1,244,864.54	6
Miami Marlins	$105,435,809	84	$1,255,188.20	7
Washington Nationals	$93,378,663	71	$1,315,192.44	8
Milwaukee Brewers	$125,338,345	92	$1,362,373.32	9
Arizona Diamondbacks	$119,257,651	84	$1,419,733.94	10
Seattle Mariners	$134,466,903	88	$1,528,032.99	11
Detroit Tigers	$121,494,514	78	$1,557,621.97	12
Kansas City Royals	$96,083,853	56	$1,715,783.09	13
Twins	$156,104,540	87	$1,794,305.06	14
Braves	$206,239,131	104	$1,983,068.57	15
St. Louis Cardinals	$153,793,028	71	$2,166,098.99	16
Cubs	$189,629,358	83	$2,284,691.06	17
Red Sox	$182,926,796	78	$2,345,215.33	18
Giants	$187,398,165	79	$2,372,128.67	19
Dodgers	$240,278,296	100	$2,402,782.96	20
Bluejays	$214,630,885	89	$2,411,582.98	21
Astros	$237,107,748	90	$2,634,530.53	22
White Sox	$162,863,836	61	$2,669,898.95	23
Phillies	$245,419,295	90	$2,726,881.06	24
Rangers	$251,332,754	90	$2,792,586.16	25
Rockies	$171,026,607	59	$2,898,756.05	26
Padres	$256,045,688	82	$3,122,508.39	27
Angels	$230,534,276	73	$3,158,003.78	28
Yankees	$278,651,000	82	$3,398,182.93	29
Mets	$343,605,067	75	$4,581,400.89	30