Look at my payroll! I kick ass!
The MLB Cost Index is one measure of how well your GM did over the course of the offseason and during the season. The Index takes a look at the payrolls for each team and calculates a Cost per Win number. Pretty simple stuff right? But in the wide open world of baseball with no salary cap, it’s the best way we can think of to judge teams on a level (monetary) playing field.
Now that we’re through with April (almost), the MLB Cost Index gets to be a little more interesting. It used to be that the Yankees were at the bottom of the rankings no matter how many games they won simply because of their huge payroll. Well, after a 9-14 start, they’d be close to the bottom even if they had half their payroll.
After one month, the Indians and the Brewers are the biggest bargains in baseball. The Indians lead the AL Central in the standings and are ranked 5th on the MLB Cost Index. Meanwhile, the surprising Brewers are leading the NL Central by 3.5 games and rank 7th on the Index. The biggest wastes of money outside of the Yankees? The Cubs, Mariners, Orioles and White Sox all rank in the top 10 for payroll this year but are underperforming. Only the White Sox are within shouting distance of the division leaders but they play in a tough AL Central, loaded with Indians, Twins, and Tigers.
The complete MLB Cost Index after the jump.
| Rank (Pv) | Team | 2006 Payroll | GP | Wins | YTD Payroll | Cost/Win | |
| 1 (1) | Devil Rays | $24.1 | 25 | 11 | $3.72 | $0.34 | |
| 2 (2) | Marlins | $30.5 | 24 | 11 | $4.52 | $0.41 | |
| 3 (3) | Pirates | $38.6 | 23 | 11 | $5.48 | $0.50 | |
| 4 (5) | D’backs | $52.1 | 26 | 15 | $8.36 | $0.56 | |
| 5 (7) | Indians | $61.7 | 22 | 14 | $8.38 | $0.60 | |
| 6 (4) | Padres | $58.2 | 25 | 13 | $8.98 | $0.69 | |
| 7 (9) | Brewers | $72.0 | 24 | 15 | $10.67 | $0.71 | |
| 8 (10) | Nationals | $37.3 | 25 | 8 | $5.76 | $0.72 | |
| 9 (8) | Twins | $71.4 | 25 | 14 | $11.02 | $0.79 | |
| 10 (6) | Rockies | $54.4 | 25 | 10 | $8.40 | $0.84 | |
| 11 (11) | Braves | $89.5 | 24 | 15 | $13.26 | $0.88 | |
| 12 (12) | Reds | $69.1 | 25 | 12 | $10.66 | $0.89 | |
| 13 (20) | Blue Jays | $79.9 | 24 | 12 | $11.84 | $0.99 | |
| 14 (13) | Rangers | $68.8 | 24 | 10 | $10.19 | $1.02 | |
| 15 (16) | A’s | $79.9 | 25 | 12 | $12.33 | $1.03 | |
| 16 (18) | Giants | $90.5 | 23 | 12 | $12.85 | $1.07 | |
| 17 (19) | Tigers | $95.2 | 24 | 13 | $14.10 | $1.08 | |
| 18 (21) | Mets | $117.9 | 23 | 15 | $16.74 | $1.12 | |
| 19 (15) | Dodgers | $108.7 | 25 | 15 | $16.77 | $1.12 | |
| 20 (27) | Phillies | $89.4 | 24 | 11 | $13.24 | $1.20 | |
| 21 (26) | Angels | $109.3 | 25 | 14 | $16.87 | $1.20 | |
| 22 (14) | Orioles | $95.1 | 25 | 12 | $14.68 | $1.22 | |
| 23 (23) | Cardinals | $90.3 | 23 | 10 | $12.82 | $1.28 | |
| 24 (25) | White Sox | $109.7 | 23 | 12 | $15.57 | $1.30 | |
| 25 (22) | Royals | $67.4 | 25 | 8 | $10.40 | $1.30 | |
| 26 (17) | Astros | $87.8 | 24 | 10 | $13.01 | $1.30 | |
| 27 (29) | Mariners | $106.5 | 20 | 10 | $13.15 | $1.31 | |
| 28 (24) | Red Sox | $143.5 | 24 | 16 | $21.26 | $1.33 | |
| 29 (28) | Cubs | $99.9 | 23 | 10 | $14.18 | $1.42 | |
| 30 (30) | Yankees | $195.2 | 23 | 9 | $27.71 | $3.08 |
