One of the biggest talking points you'll hear by the time MLB Playoffs begin in late September is the importance of each team's payroll. Without a traditional salary cap structure, professional baseball has a staggering range of allocated salaries, with a staggering $255.8 million difference between the most (New York Mets) and least expensive (Miami Marlins) total payroll allocations in the league this season.
Traditionally, the Milwaukee Brewers would rank near the bottom of the league in cap allocations, and while you'll likely see cost-cutting measures from the organization every season, Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio has been willing to spend a little more than in years past to keep this team atop the NL Central. Right now, they rank 20th in total payroll allocations and 21st in active cap, per Spotrac.
However, in ESPN's Memorial Day assessment of the MLB standings, insider and columnist Jeff Passan shared a significant discovery regarding the league's payroll disparity and what it means in the grand scheme of things.
"The 10 best teams in MLB this season are spending a combined $1.89 billion on players. The 10 worst teams in MLB this season are spending a combined $1.90 billion on players. Three of the 10 best teams — the Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Guardians — are carrying sub-$100 million payrolls, while just one of the bottom 10 (the Miami Marlins) are."
While they don't fit into that specific example, the Milwaukee Brewers are a true embodiment of this same trend. Despite falling into the bottom third in spending, the Brew Crew currently holds the fourth-best record in all of baseball and leads the National League Central despite ranking in the middle of the pack for their division's payroll, which begs the question...
Does total payroll allocation really matter in the MLB, and what does this mean for the Milwaukee Brewers?
When push comes to shove, spending power matters. In general, the top free agents in baseball, and most major professional sports, for that matter, are going to follow the money. In the case of the MLB, that most often leads them to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that's a whole other can of worms.
For regular-season purposes, however, the Milwaukee Brewers are proof that you don't need to break the bank to be a competitive team. They have never cracked the top 10 in spending, leaving that to larger-market teams, while quietly building one of the best farm systems and player development programs in baseball to make up for their lack of cash.
Outside of veteran Brandon Woodruff, earning more of a lifetime achievement contract than a salary that's reflective of his current output, no Brewers pitchers are making more than $5.7 million this season, yet the team has the fourth-lowest ERA in the MLB with the fewest home runs allowed in the entire league at 37.
I'll eat these words in the Playoffs, when the big spenders put all their cards on the table, but regular-season spending isn't the end-all, be-all that it's sometimes made out to be, and the Milwaukee Brewers have proven that wholeheartedly over the last six seasons.
And if you needed any proof outside of Milwaukee, just take a look at the New York Mets, who lead the MLB in total payroll allocations, but are tied for the fourth-worst record in the league.
This isn't to say the Milwaukee Brewers shouldn't start spending, because the title window is clearly open so long as they're willing to put the pedal to the metal. But that won't be the most significant factor in deciding their fate as a team. Leave that to the performance of the players and the coaching staff, who are surely proving what they're made of during their recent stretch of dominating the league.
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