Always making the most of the least! Well, they're not the bottom of the barrel in terms of payroll, but they're in the bottom third (maybe bottom quarter) and they're always competitive. It's impressive! They're 24-16 going into today's game, BTW.

Then there's the lowly Orioles and A's, who spend so little and get so little in return.

In the NL, Pittsburgh is a bit deceiving. They are in third place, but it's a weak division and their record is 16-23. That .410 winning percentage could quite possibly get even worse at the season progresses.

I think if I owned the 13-26 Detroit Tigers, I'd be a little miffed. A $137.5-million payroll should buy you a better record than that!

Interesting post, Auggie.

Right after I posted this I was wondering if it would better had I posted standings by cost per win -- overall payroll divided by number of wins. But then I thought, "shit, that's too much math."

Maybe at mid-season.

have that Caribbean Connection, where they seem to get the best available prospects from the Caribbean and South American countries at cut rate prices at the beginning of their careers. Many like the climate as well, there's a huge fan base for Latino players, and many have family and friends in or near Tampa.

Tampa was smart to cultivate that connection, while the Marlins concentrated on mostly Cuban players because of the large Cuban-American fan base.

Can I post it on Facebook for my baseball friends?