Major League Baseball payrolls tell the tale



… the Bucs are $71 million less than number 1 in NL-Central 

In order to win in any professional sport, franchises have to spend money to attract top talent. When you are spending $72 million less than the top team in your division in Major League Baseball (MLB) and $51 million less than the second-best team, you will struggle.

That is the reality for the small-market Pittsburgh Pirates, which have a payroll of approximately $100.5 million this year, according to Spotrac. The Chicago Cubs, the team that used to annually be woeful, is now paying its players $172.1 million while the St. Louis Cardinals have a payroll of $151.68 million.

Fortunately for the Bucs, the Milwaukee Brewers are the true cheapskates in the NL Central at $63 million.

The leading payroll for the fourth consecutive season is the Los Angeles Dodgers, which has a payroll of $225 million, according to the AP.

The AP noted that the Cubs increased their payroll by $7 million this year, but last season, the one in which they won it all for the first time in what seemed like a century, they spent $51 million more than the previous year.

Until MLB gets a salary cap and some kind of revenue sharing beyond their miserly one, the small market teams will just not be able to compete. That is unfortunate, but it is reality in the 21st Century.

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