Note: Due to this map being interactive, a link is required rather than it being implemented into the document.
Major League Baseball is known for being the sole major American professional sports league that does not have a salary cap. Rather than having a salary cap, the MLB has a luxury threshold. Meaning, if a team exceeds a certain amount of money they must pay a percentage tax. For the upcoming 2023 MLB season, the threshold for luxury tax is $233 million.
Since the MLB does not have a salary cap, this allows for wide variance in payrolls from respective ball clubs. Allowing for teams in favorable markets to spend close to $300 million and teams in less favorable markets to barely break $30 million payrolls. In theory, one would assume that the teams with the most luxurious salaries dominate the league. This has relative truth to it as it allows for a larger pull when attempting to sign top players. On the other hand, baseball is irregular and unpredictable; allowing teams with lower payrolls to shock the world of baseball.
I created an interactive map presenting the MLB payrolls from highest, Los Angeles Dodgers to lowest, Baltimore Orioles. My goal was to cross reference this map with the overall standings from the 2022 regular season to see if organizations can truly pay to win. As seen below, the Los Angeles Dodgers did have the highest payroll with $277,108,333 while earning a record of 111-51, an MLB best for this past season. While on the other hand, the Baltimore Orioles had the smallest MLB salary of $30,221,166 and earned a record of 83-79, ranking in the top half of all MLB organizations.
As we investigate the Houston Astros, the Astros had a payroll of $163,939,599, ranking 12th among MLB franchises. Although the Astros did not crack the top 10 in salary, the Astros finished with a record of 106-56, finishing 2nd in the MLB by record. MLB organizations can either pay to win or they can invest in their farm system to develop their draft picks, specifically seen in teams like the Baltimore Orioles.
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