Paying a high price for victory
The Dodgers finish dead last in 2022’s rankings of payroll efficiency
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a great team, but they’re not very efficient.
The Dodgers are on track to win more than 110 games this season. That’s an incredible feat, one previously accomplished by only four clubs in 151 years of big-league baseball.
But the team is paying an awfully high price for victory. The Dodgers’ estimated payroll for 2022, according to Baseball Reference, is $289.31 million. That’s roughly $50 million beyond the runner-up in total spending, the New York Yankees at $238.95 million.
Only two other teams have payrolls above $200 million — the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies — while eight clubs are in the range between $150 million and $199 million.
But those figures reflect only the total amount spent. What’s more interesting is the return that each team is receiving on its investment, which can be easily calculated by comparing payroll dollars and wins.
The 2022 season isn’t quite over, of course, so I projected each team’s record on September 11 to a full 162-game schedule. The Dodgers, for example, are on pace for 111.5 regular-season victories.
The remaining math is quite simple. Take the payroll for a given team ($289.31 million for the Dodgers), divide that figure by projected wins (111.5), and you wind up with a ratio of dollars per win. The Dodgers’ ratio of $2,595,000 per victory is the highest — and hence the most inefficient — in the majors this year.
The neighboring Los Angeles Angels rank second-worst in the efficiency standings. They don’t spend as much as the Dodgers, nor do they fare as well on the field. The Angels’ ratio works out to $2,490,000 per win.
Rounding out the list of the five most inefficient franchises are the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Phillies.
The undisputed efficiency champions of 2022, on the other hand, are the Baltimore Orioles, who have shocked most observers with their sharp play in the wake of five consecutive losing seasons. The Orioles are on track to win 85.1 games with a total payroll of $48.00 million, spending just $564,000 per victory.
Five other clubs are spending less than $1 million per win. They are — in efficiency order behind the Orioles — the runner-up Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, and Tampa Bay Rays.
The efficiency standings follow, with teams ranked from most to least efficient. Each club is listed with its total payroll (thanks again to Baseball Reference), projected wins, and payroll per win. The team’s rank in each category (among all 30 big-league clubs) is shown in parentheses. (The highest payroll, most projected wins, and lowest payroll-per-win ratio are assigned first place in those respective categories.)
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1. Baltimore Orioles
Total payroll: $48,000,000 (rank: 29 of 30)
Projected wins: 85.1 (rank: 13 of 30)
Payroll per win: $564,000 (rank: 1 of 30)
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
Total payroll: $37,925,000 (rank: 30 of 30)
Projected wins: 59.9 (rank: 28 of 30)
Payroll per win: $633,000 (rank: 2 of 30)
3. Cleveland Guardians
Total payroll: $65,960,000 (rank: 27 of 30)
Projected wins: 85.1 (rank: 13 of 30)
Payroll per win: $775,000 (rank: 3 of 30)
4. Seattle Mariners
Total payroll: $78,285,000 (rank: 25 of 30)
Projected wins: 90.9 (rank: 9 of 30)
Payroll per win: $861,000 (rank: 4 of 30)
5. Oakland Athletics
Total payroll: $50,248,334 (rank: 28 of 30)
Projected wins: 57.9 (rank: 29 of 30)
Payroll per win: $868,000 (rank: 5 of 30)
6. Tampa Bay Rays
Total payroll: $86,104,211 (rank: 23 of 30)
Projected wins: 92.2 (rank: 7 of 30)
Payroll per win: $934,000 (rank: 6 of 30)
7. Miami Marlins
Total payroll: $68,200,000 (rank: 26 of 30)
Projected wins: 66.9 (rank: 24 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,019,000 (rank: 7 of 30)
8. Arizona Diamondbacks
Total payroll: $78,860,000 (rank: 24 of 30)
Projected wins: 76.3 (rank: 19 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,034,000 (rank: 8 of 30)
9. Minnesota Twins
Total payroll: $110,792,857 (rank: 21 of 30)
Projected wins: 81.0 (rank: 16 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,368,000 (rank: 9 of 30)
10. Kansas City Royals
Total payroll: $94,410,000 (rank: 22 of 30)
Projected wins: 64.8 (rank: 26 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,457,000 (rank: 10 of 30)
11. Milwaukee Brewers
Total payroll: $128,421,127 (rank: 15 of 30)
Projected wins: 85.6 (rank: 12 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,500,000 (rank: 11 of 30)
12. Houston Astros
Total payroll: $164,789,600 (rank: 9 of 30)
Projected wins: 103.7 (rank: 2 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,589,000 (rank: 12 of 30)
13. Colorado Rockies
Total payroll: $112,605,000 (rank: 19 of 30)
Projected wins: 70.6 (rank: 21 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,595,000 (rank: 13 of 30)
14. St. Louis Cardinals
Total payroll: $156,814,666 (rank: 12 of 30)
Projected wins: 94.9 (rank: 6 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,652,000 (rank: 14 of 30)
15. Atlanta Braves
Total payroll: $171,075,000 (rank: 7 of 30)
Projected wins: 101.4 (rank: 4 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,687,000 (rank: 15 of 30)
16. Cincinnati Reds
Total payroll: $111,882,381 (rank: 20 of 30)
Projected wins: 66.2 (rank: 25 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,690,000 (rank: 16 of 30)
17. Texas Rangers
Total payroll: $120,176,667 (rank: 17 of 30)
Projected wins: 69.3 (rank: 22 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,734,000 (rank: 17 of 30)
18. San Francisco Giants
Total payroll: $134,929,667 (rank: 13 of 30)
Projected wins: 76.9 (rank: 18 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,755,000 (rank: 18 of 30)
19. San Diego Padres
Total payroll: $158,334,158 (rank: 11 of 30)
Projected wins: 89.1 (rank: 11 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,777,000 (rank: 19 of 30)
20. Toronto Blue Jays
Total payroll: $165,705,857 (rank: 8 of 30)
Projected wins: 91.6 (rank: 8 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,809,000 (rank: 20 of 30)
21. Detroit Tigers
Total payroll: $117,240,000 (rank: 18 of 30)
Projected wins: 62.9 (rank: 27 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,864,000 (rank: 21 of 30)
22. Chicago Cubs
Total payroll: $131,085,000 (rank: 14 of 30)
Projected wins: 67.6 (rank: 23 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,939,000 (rank: 22 of 30)
23. Chicago White Sox
Total payroll: $163,958,334 (rank: 10 of 30)
Projected wins: 83.3 (rank: 15 of 30)
Payroll per win: $1,968,000 (rank: 23 of 30)
24. Washington Nationals
Total payroll: $125,051,666 (rank: 16 of 30)
Projected wins: 56.7 (rank: 30 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,205,000 (rank: 24 of 30)
25. New York Mets
Total payroll: $237,473,333 (rank: 3 of 30)
Projected wins: 101.8 (rank: 3 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,333,000 (rank: 25 of 30)
26. Philadelphia Phillies
Total payroll: $209,488,461 (rank: 4 of 30)
Projected wins: 89.7 (rank: 10 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,335,000 (rank: 26 of 30)
27. Boston Red Sox
Total payroll: $191,920,000 (rank: 5 of 30)
Projected wins: 78.7 (rank: 17 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,439,000 (rank: 27 of 30)
28. New York Yankees
Total payroll: $238,950,714 (rank: 2 of 30)
Projected wins: 97.2 (rank: 5 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,458,000 (rank: 28 of 30)
29. Los Angeles Angels
Total payroll: $177,063,095 (rank: 6 of 30)
Projected wins: 71.1 (rank: 20 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,490,000 (rank: 29 of 30)
30. Los Angeles Dodgers
Total payroll: $289,311,999 (rank: 1 of 30)
Projected wins: 111.5 (rank: 1 of 30)
Payroll per win: $2,595,000 (rank: 30 of 30)