Money can buy love — sort of — but money can’t buy victories in Major League Baseball. Just asks the Mets, Padres, Angels, and several other teams.
The Mets went on a wild spending spree and have a record team payroll of $344 million and change. They have a 35-43 record. The Padres payroll is nearly $246 million with a 37-41 record. The Angels have two superstars in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, a $225-plus million payroll, and a 43-37 record.
How about the poor boys? The Orioles are 29 out of 30 in payroll ($67-plus million) and have the third-best record in baseball, 48-29. The best record, 54-27, belongs to the Rays, who are 28th in payroll ($77 million). The Diamondbacks are 47-32 with the 20th-sized payroll.
Like in every other big-time sport, winning is a matter of finding the best players and a coach to motivate, develop and lead them. Sure, money is great, but how many times do players get mega contracts and lose their edge, their drive to get better? They’re signed, in part, because of their names, but who wants to watch yesterday’s stars play like minor leaguers in their twilight years?