The Guardians were the most cost-efficient team in baseball this year – spending a mere $934,118 per win – the only team under $1 million. And they made the playoffs.
The least-efficient, once again, were the
big-spending Mets, with the second highest payroll, spent $4.7 million per win.
The Bluejays also threw money away
-- $3.65 million per win –
and finished way behind the Rays, who had the best record in the American
League with $1.1 million per win.
In fact, three of the four most efficient teams – the
White Sox being the other -- made the post-season. The best record in the
National League was the small-market Brewers, who paid $1.4 million per win,
contrasted with the high-flying Dodgers at $3.8 M and the Yankees at $3.2
M.
This is my nineth year measuring costs per win. I use
Spotrac for salaries, because they measure all expenses, including injured and
“buried,” meaning players getting paid who are now longer with the club. The
Marlins, for example, with the second-smallest payroll in baseball, used $10
million of their overall $82.8 million to pay part of Giancarlo Stanton’s
salary as a New York Yankee, thanks to a deal worked out by Yankee HOF Derek
Jeter.
A lot of fans don’t like my efficiency measures. The
Rays in Tampa Bay are always near the best in this category, but their fans constantly
complain that the owners don’t spend more to win the elusive World Series. My
hometown Marlins were the second-most efficient team this year (and the most
efficient last year), but its fans are pissed that the owner doesn’t spend more
to get into the playoffs.
Still, the measure reveals how smart front offices in
this era can navigate this era with wide gaps between the biggest and the
smallest payrolls. The Rays, Guardians and Brewers are among the leaders year
after year.
Baseball is the only major American sport without a
salary cap, and owners have vowed to force a cap in the upcoming negotiations
with the union. A cap is likely to include a floor, meaning the cheapest teams
like the Marlins and A’s would be forced to spend more.
Certainly, the numbers reveal consistently stupid
behavior. The big-market, big-spending Angels haven’t been in the playoffs since
2014. For all the time I’ve been measuring, they have been among the least
efficient teams, spending huge sums for poor results. This year, they spent $2.8
MPW – more than twice as much as the playoff Guardians, Rays, White Sox and
Brewers. The Halos now have a new owner and perhaps things will improve.
What’s missing from my measures are the teams’
underlying financials. All but one team has completely opaque financials,
especially how much revenue they’re taking in. Are some teams making a lot of
money they’re not spending? We don’t know.
One example: Last year, nine teams paid the so-called
“luxury tax” for a total of $402 million, led by the Dodgers ($169M), Mets ($91M),
Yankees ($62M) and Phillies ($56M).
Supposedly, half of that money ($201M) went to the
poorest teams, but what teams got what is not public knowledge. So the Marlins
with their cheap payroll may be rolling in gifted cash.
The Braves, a publicly traded company, is the one
team which publishes audited financials. For 2025, looking purely at baseball
operations, the Braves had revenue of $635 M and expenses of $497 M, for a
surplus of $138 M. Still, with marketing, depreciation and various other
expenses, the corporation reported a net
loss of $23.2 M.
Smart spending can get a team into the playoffs, but
when it comes to going all the way, big bucks still pave the way for ultimate
victory. The last time a small-market team won a World Series was 2015 with the
Royals. Will this year be different? Some union leaders may hope so – so they
can claim there’s no need for a salary cap.
Here's the complete list. Playoff teams in bold face.
|
TEAM |
WINS |
$SALARY |
$Millions/Win |
|
|
1 |
Guardians |
85 |
79.4 |
0.93 |
|
2 |
Marlins |
80 |
82.8 |
1.03 |
|
3 |
Rays |
98 |
107.6 |
1.1 |
|
4 |
White Sox |
84 |
101.9 |
1.21 |
|
5 |
Cards |
77 |
97.9 |
1.27 |
|
6 |
Pirates |
82 |
106.7 |
1.3 |
|
7 |
Nationals |
77 |
105 |
1.36 |
|
8 |
Brewers |
103 |
146.8 |
1.4 |
|
9 |
Twins |
77 |
115 |
1.49 |
|
10 |
Athletics |
64 |
97.7 |
1.53 |
|
11 |
Reds |
75 |
134.2 |
1.79 |
|
12 |
Rockies |
58 |
114.5 |
1.97 |
|
13 |
Orioles |
79 |
166.2 |
2.1 |
|
14 |
Royals |
69 |
150.4 |
2.18 |
|
15 |
Mariners |
76 |
167.8 |
2.2 |
|
AVERAGE |
81 |
183.5 |
2.26 |
|
|
16 |
Red Sox |
87 |
198.2 |
2.27 |
|
17 |
D-backs |
86 |
198.2 |
2.3 |
|
18 |
Rangers |
80 |
191.2 |
2.39 |
|
19 |
Padres |
91 |
221.1 |
2.4 |
|
20 |
Tigers |
76 |
199.6 |
2.6 |
|
21 |
Braves |
94 |
260.6 |
2.8 |
|
22 |
Cubs |
89 |
247 |
2.8 |
|
23 |
Angels |
62 |
175.2 |
2.8 |
|
24 |
Astros |
81 |
239.8 |
2.96 |
|
25 |
Giants |
65 |
195.4 |
3.01 |
|
26 |
Yankees |
93 |
294.4 |
3.16 |
|
27 |
Phillies |
88 |
288.9 |
3.28 |
|
28 |
Bluejays |
79 |
288.3 |
3.6 |
|
29 |
Dodgers |
100 |
380.4 |
3.8 |
|
30 |
Mets |
74 |
351.6 |
4.75 |
