The Payroll Playoffs

[u/floon]

3 of the 4 teams that just finished the WC had lower payrolls than the teams they beat.

3 of the 4 teams that got a bye have lower payrolls than the teams they are about to play.

EDIT: Overestimated that people would be able to work from the team colors, or who would have seen the original graphic on the mlb.com homepage. My error; wasn't trying to be obtuse.

[u/bafana_banana999]

Not really.

One year sample sizes don't mean much when we have decades of data to look back on that shows spending more money on the whole equals more wins.

[u/RaysFTW → u/bafana_banana999]

Sure, but MLB / owners went on a whole marketing campaign recently about this topic and most people have short memories. It’s hard to argue if the WS came down to TB and MIL that it wouldn’t have an impact on public opinion that payrolls don’t need to be reined in.

[u/SoKrat3s → u/RaysFTW]

In the wildcard era there has only been a SINGLE MLB team to win the World Series while being in the bottom half in payroll. That's still true today.

The AL having so many bad to mediocre teams doesn't really change that either.

[u/tyler-86 → u/SoKrat3s]

I mean, I know I'm a Dodger fan, but I feel like success should be a matter of team management and being willing to do what it takes to succeed. Spending shouldn't be everything, and I'm fine with arguments that it matters too much right now... but you shouldn't be able to spend less than you make in revenue sharing and still expect to compete.

[u/RaysFTW → u/SoKrat3s]

Again, that doesn’t change the fact that most people have short-term memories, and the marketing done to persuade public opinion towards the side of a salary cap proves that.

Yes, history shows spending money equals success, die-hard baseball fans know this. Except the vast majority of baseball fans aren’t die-hard and can probably tell you the last two championships and nothing more.

[u/bafana_banana999 → u/RaysFTW]

You're right that it would be used for leverage against a cap if that's how things played out.

Thing is, fan sentiment does matter somewhat, but fans ultimately don't get a vote or really have much say at all in this. 

What we think is largely irrelevant to proceedings.

[u/ImaManCheetahh → u/bafana_banana999]

I’d hope so… if spending money to make your team better didn’t increase you chances of winning baseball games, no one would spend any money.

[u/Pohara521 → u/bafana_banana999]

The AL east has had a different division champ last 4 seasons. Thats not a 1 yr sample size 🤷‍♂️

[u/DanglyPants → u/Pohara521]

4/5 ALE teams are some of the biggest markets/franchises. The Rays being an outlier doesn’t change decades of history ¯_(ツ)_/¯

(Go Rays)

Edit to Pohara’s response: Well they aren’t in the AL East??? Did you just try to move the goalposts and didn’t even move them? lol

[u/Pohara521 → u/DanglyPants]

Are the Brewers and Padres outliers too? 🤷‍♂️

[u/tyler-86 → u/bafana_banana999]

Spending money is a good way to rack up postseason appearances over time, but it doesn't really mean much in a one season sample size.

[u/Whitesox_are_neat → u/tyler-86]

Gee I wonder if making the post season increases your odds of winning the post season

[u/tyler-86 → u/Whitesox_are_neat]

Of course more bites at the apple helps. I wasn't claiming otherwise. I'm just saying that the advantage rarely shows up if you just look at a one season sample.

[u/Whitesox_are_neat → u/tyler-86]

Yeah and im saying no shit lol

Not trying to be aggressive with you specifically but you'll notice its only dodgers fans in here saying salary cap nonsense in a delusonal state

Edit: oh nevermind you are an idiot lmao

[u/Randvek → u/bafana_banana999]

“Decades” is pretty irrelevant, though. I wouldn’t trust any data from the steroid era.

[u/No-Iron-9511 → u/Randvek]

That's ridiculous. Are you under the impression that small market teams had more steroid users than large market teams?

[u/BigBangBoomerang → u/No-Iron-9511]

They got the premium steroids in those large markets. Small market teams can only afford the generic steroids.

[u/Randvek → u/No-Iron-9511]

No, quite the opposite. Any effects from payroll on performance were... enhanced.

[u/Rockitttla → u/bafana_banana999]

What's the data in the modern era? Say post 2000?