In 2024, there are two paths to victory in baseball: Spending a ton of money ... and not spending a ton of money. Where does your franchise fit in?
Something very odd is happening in Major League Baseball. At the same time payroll inequality is reaching levels not seen in more than a decade and barreling toward the imbalance of the mid-2000s, fewer teams are outright punting on their seasons than in recent years. Whether it's because of talent, spending or a subpar division, 26 of baseball's 30 teams enter Opening Day with genuine playoff aspirations.
While research on the correlation between payroll and regular-season wins universally agrees that more money spent equals more success, the degree to which that's the case varies. Which leads to the opposite end of the spectrum, where nine teams are set to carry payrolls at least $100 million below the $237 million threshold. At least seven --
Even so, the inclination to simply secure one of the six spots in each league is a logical driving force in behavior. Each of the past three Octobers, the playoff participant with the worst record in its league has gone to the World Series. The 88-win-- neither of whom would have been in the field before postseason expansion -- have lost in the World Series. The Braves and Phillies spent aplenty. The Diamondbacks didn't.
The Astros and Giants rejoined the club, though in past years they were barely over, spending less than $10 million each in penalties. Houston rocketed past the second threshold of $257 million, joining the Braves -- whose projected actual payroll is $229.4 million -- and their National League East rival Phillies, who are near the top of the table for the third consecutive season.
There are large financial gaps among the subgroups -- and ideological divides within them, too. Just look at the 159ers. They're all in the same place financially, right at the league average for payroll. They're all trying to make the postseason. But they are not all stretching their financial muscles to the best of their abilities.Expansion is inevitable. Here's what you need to know about the timeline, favorites to land a team and remaining hurdles.
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