Salary Cap in Baseball

I am a Cubs fan, even though I live in Wisconsin.  Obviously, I have nothing to brag about considering my Cubs have a record of 23-32.  Despite their poor record, they are not in last place in the NL Central.  Currently, the Brewers hold that title with a record of 21-34.

The Brewers have had a very good team for the past few years thanks, in part, to Ryan Braun.  My friends always brag about how much better they have been than the Cubs.  I always smile and take the abuse, because I know it is true.  However, I also tell them that the Cubs will probably win a World Series before the Brewers do.

This is probably true, because the Brewers are a small market team and cannot afford to keep their star players.  Yes, they signed Ryan Braun, but they have also lost other stars like CC Sabathia and Prince Fielder to free agency.

The reality is that they will never be able to keep stars around, because they are unable to pay them.  Instead, the teams with the most money will sign the stars.  Consequently, the teams with the most money will win the championships.

According to USA Today, the Yankees have the highest payroll at $228,835,490.  They also have a record of 31-25 and have won 27 championships.  In contrast, the Brewers have the 18th highest payroll at $82,976,944, which is the second lowest payroll of the teams in the NL Central.


If those numbers don't convince you, then maybe these will.  The Astros have the lowest payroll in baseball at $22,062,600 and have the second worst record in baseball at 20-37.  The team with the worst record in baseball, the Marlins, have a record of 16-41.  The Marlins have the second lowest payroll in the MLB at $36,341,900 (USA Today).

While there are exceptions, there appears to be a direct relationship between a team's payroll and their record.  Based on the previous numbers, it is reasonable to conclude that the teams that spend a lot of money have better records.  However, it is not possible for small market teams to spend that much money.  Therefore, the MLB should institute a salary cap.

A salary cap would prevent large market teams, including the Yankees, from monopolizing free agency.  As a result, it would give small market teams a chance and would lead to a more competitive league.

To be continued...

Please feel free to leave your comments.  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/fantasy/baseball/salaries/2013/all/team/all/