We should do this in the middle and at the end of every baseball season, as we have shown firmly in the last handful of years that the best way to win the World Series is to buy it with a high payroll (and to cheat, too, of course, as the franchises in Boston, Houston, and San Francisco have shown us by ending decades of futility via illicit modus operandi). So, where do we stand on a cost-per-victory basis halfway through 2023?

Here is the salary data; here are the standings. Now, look at which teams are spending most efficiently for their win total at the 2023 All-Star Break (figures are approximate for rounding purposes; teams in playoff slots right now are in bold)—and which teams are just wasting money … and can afford to do so:

  • Baltimore: $1,259,259.26 per win
  • Tampa Bay: $1,327,586.21
  • Miami: $1,830,188.68
  • Cincinnati: $1,840,000.00
  • Pittsburgh: $1,878,048.78
  • Cleveland: $2,022,222.22
  • Arizona: $2,230,769.23
  • Oakland: $2,440,000.00
  • Milwaukee: $2,489,795.92
  • Washington: $2,611,111.11
  • Seattle: $3,022,222.22
  • Detroit: $3,179,487.18
  • Atlanta: $3,350,000.00
  • Minnesota: $3,422,222.22
  • Kansas City: $3,576,923.08
  • Boston: $3,770,833.33
  • San Francisco: $3,775,510.20
  • Texas: $3,807,692.31
  • Houston: $3,820,000.00
  • St. Louis: $4,263,157.89
  • Toronto: $4,280,000.00
  • Chicago (NL): $4,357,142.86
  • Los Angeles (NL): $4,470,588.24
  • Los Angeles (AL): $4,822,222.22
  • Chicago (AL): $4,868,421.05
  • Philadelphia: $5,062,500.00
  • Colorado: $5,264,705.88
  • New York (AL): $5,693,877.55
  • San Diego: $5,744,186.05
  • New York (NL): $8,285,714.29

Six of the seven most cost-efficient teams are in playoff position right now, while the seven teams with the worst cost-efficiency rates are not in postseason spots. As we have pointed out, spending a lot doesn’t guarantee a postseason berth, but big payrolls do increase your chances of winning the World Series once you do qualify for the playoffs. We’ve proven this over the years with our analyses; watch this October.

The standings probably will change a bit before the end of the year, so we will check in on this by the end of the regular season to see where things stand. But right now, it’s quite an interesting story—or several of them, actually—to tell once you pour over the numbers above.