The San Francisco Giants, the team that opened the seasonwith the seventh-highest payroll in baseball, defeated the Kansas City Royals, whichhad risen from dead last in 2011 to nineteenth this year, to win the WorldSeries.
With $154 million in salaries to start the season, the Giants enjoyed a $62 million edge on their opponents but an $81 million shortcoming vis-a-vis the team (New York Yankees) spending the most money.
Had the small-market Royals triumphed–not such a far-fetchedscenario given Alex Gordon’s proximity to home plate to end the game–they wouldhave been the only team in the last decade to win a World Series with a payrollin the lower half of all MLB clubs.
Here’s the last fifteen champions–four teams account for ten of those victories–with the winners’ MLB payroll ranking listed to the right. Five times (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2012) the World Series team with the lower of the two payrolls beat its opponent. Just two of the fifteen winnersalso topped all 29 other clubs in salaries, too. Tellingly, just won champion in fifteen years fell in the bottom half in payroll.
2014: San Francisco Giants, 7
2013: Boston Red Sox, 4
2012: San Francisco Giants, 8
20111: St. Louis Cardinals, 11
2010: San Francisco Giants, 10
2009: New York Yankees, 1
2008: Philadelphia Phillies, 12
2007: Boston Red Sox, 2
2006: St. Louis Cardinals, 11
2005: Chicago White Sox, 13
2004: Boston Red Sox, 2
2003: Florida Marlins, 25
2002: Anaheim Angels, 15
2001: Arizona Diamondbacks, 8
2000: New York Yankees, 1
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