Guardians Deliver MLB’s Best Return On Player Spending In 2022

Only one team celebrated in its own park last weekend. It was the one that has only one player earning more than $6 million.

Jose Ramirez, in the first season of a seven-year, $141 million contract, is in his age-29 season and has piled up 32.7 WAR over the last six seasons. He represents one of the most cost-efficient run-producers in the major leagues, and leads a Cleveland Guardians team that is the best bang-for-the-buck squad around.

All hail Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff and Terry Francona. They produced 92 regular-season wins at a cost of $90.2 million — an average of about $980,000 per victory.

That’s an impressive outcome in this baseball economy.

With $5.01 billion in player costs between the 30 teams (per Cot’s Contracts reporting of team’s Competitive Balance Tax payrolls), the average win in 2022 cost $2,063,950. So the Guardians are heading to the American League Division Series while winning at 47.5 percent of the going rate. That’s impressive.

Here’s a look at the teams that most overachieved their spending, as well as ones that most noticeably fell short after spending heavily.

GOOD STEWARDS

1. Guardians — Oscar Gonzalez, whose 15th-inning home run provided the only run in Saturday’s decisive victory over Tampa Bay, is one of six rookies who earned a spot on Cleveland’s postseason roster. The most impactful of those is leadoff hitter Steven Kwan, who put together a .373 on-base percentage by having the patience and bat skills to produce more walks than strikeouts (62/60). He was worth 5.5 WAR. The Francisco Lindor trade damaged the organizational chutzpah but look at it now. Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario combined for 11.3 WAR while Lindor was worth 5.4 for the Mets.
2. Orioles — They missed a wild card spot by three games after returning a win for about every $781,000 spent on payroll. That’s a strong showing in the fourth season of the overhaul directed by Mike Elias and his Astros-centric front office. Rookie catcher Adley Rutschman didn’t arrive until May 21 but delivered 5.2 WAR. Elias traded Trey Mancini to Houston at the deadline and currently has only $9.2 million locked in on his payroll for next season. He can be as active as ownership allows in free agency.
3. Rays — A perennial entry on any bang-for-the-buck list, Tampa Bay’s proven management model keeps working. Tampa Bay reached the postseason while paying about $1.35 million for each of its 86 victories. Lefties Shane McClanahan and Jeffrey Springs were the team’s biggest contributors, as judged by WAR. The highest paid Ray was once again center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who was in the last guaranteed year of a deal he signed in 2017. The team holds a $13-million option on him for next season, and is as likely to exercise it as it is to pack Tropicana Field in May.

POOR STEWARDS

1. Red Sox — Baseball’s biggest boom-bust operation had the fourth largest CBT payroll in the majors but missed the postseason for the third time in four years. It spent about $3.1 million for each of 78 regular-season wins, with Trevor Story delivering only 2.5 WAR in the first season of his six-year, $140-million contract. Now Chaim Bloom’s front office is left dealing with the impending free agency of Xander Bogaerts, who was the Red Sox’s best player this season. At least Sox fans can take comfort that the Padres will pay the remaining $39 million on Eric Hosmer’s contract, whom San Diego gave away to facilitate its addition of Josh Bell and Juan Soto.
2. Nationals — Speaking of Bell and Soto, they were offloaded by what’s left of the team that won the 2019 World Series. It appears the appetite of the Lerner family was only big enough for one championship as it has handed a full rebuilding project over to Mike Rizzo, the Nats’ general manager since 2009. This was the clear transition season, and in it Washington spent about $2.93 million for each of 55 wins. The downside to the rebuilding is owing Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin $210 million for a combined six seasons.
3. Angels — Joe Maddon served as a sacrificial lamb for an owner who hasn’t figured out how to build a winner around superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. The Angels somehow haven’t reached the postseason since 2014, and this season spent about $2.83 million for each of its 73 victories. GM Perry Minasian is halfway through his four-year contract and will need to be creative to challenge Houston and Seattle next season. The Angels already have $133.2 million committed to seven players next season, including $105.7 million for Trout, Ohtani and Anthony Rendon.