The only sport with nothing really resembling a salary cap, we’ve looked at professional baseball with a skeptical eye for a long time now. We teased this season and its payroll implications a few months ago, but it’s time to check in now to see where things stand as the regular season is about 25 percent complete so far. It’s always interesting to see which teams are spending what to achieve what they have; it’s always amusing.

Best Money Spent So Far in 2024

This award has to go to the Baltimore Orioles, with a record of 27-14 and a payroll of about $101M. The team has a lot of young stars, and that’s why it’s in this situation. Catcher Adley Rutschman and infielders Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg lead the way, playing well on small-dollar contracts (for now). Rutschman was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 Draft, while Henderson (2019 second round) and Westburg (2020 first round) were also high selections. They’ve all landed well and pace the Orioles in WAR right now.

Worst Money Spent So Far in 2024

There are 4 teams in the Top 10 payroll with records currently under .500 right now and 1 team in the Top 10 that’s barely over .500 for the season so far. But, of course, it’s the New York Mets taking the cake with a 20-23 record and a $308M-plus payroll. The team is already 10 games out of first place in the National League East Division, and it looks like another lost season in Queens, where the franchise has made the playoffs just once since 2016. Only player has more than 1.0 WAR right now, while 12 players are making at least $10M this year. That’s brutal, really, topped by the $34M this year for shortstop Francisco Lindor (.194 BA).

Most Likely to Win the World Series

This is based on payroll history over the last 25-plus years in MLB. Right now, there are 5 high-spending teams with pretty good W/L records: the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs. They’re all Top 8 payroll teams with current records over .550 in the standings. The outliers would be the Texas Rangers (23-22 record), the San Francisco Giants (20-25), and the Boston Red Sox (22-22), also in the Top 10 for payroll with histories of cheating to win without shame. You never know what rabbits those franchises will pull out of their dishonest asses in October, eh?

Editor’s Note: We will check back on this with an update at the All-Star break in mid July.