Continuing his series on the top teams in terms of marginal dollars spent per marginal win, Doug Pappas today examines the 1980 to 1984 seasons. Click here to read the introduction to this series and the 1977 to 1979 seasons. For a breakdown of the 1995 to 2003 seasons, pick up a copy of the best-selling Baseball Prospectus 2004. Stay tuned for more installments, coming soon.
Table 4. Marginal Payroll/Marginal Win, 1980
Team W L Pct Marg 8/31 Marg Marg $/
Wins Average Payroll Marg Win
Baltimore 100 62 0.617 51.4 $116,156 $2,412,368 $46,933
Boston 83 77 0.519 35.4 $184,686 $4,331,208 $122,221
Cleveland 79 81 0.494 31.4 $127,505 $2,730,140 $86,982
Detroit 84 78 0.519 35.4 $86,988 $1,595,664 $45,075
Milwaukee 86 76 0.531 37.4 $159,086 $3,614,408 $96,642
NY Yankees 103 59 0.636 54.4 $242,937 $5,962,236 $109,600
Toronto 67 95 0.414 18.4 $67,218 $1,042,104 $56,636
California 65 95 0.406 17.2 $191,014 $4,508,392 $261,925
Chi WSox 70 90 0.438 22.3 $72,415 $1,187,620 $53,316
Kansas City 97 65 0.599 48.4 $100,453 $1,972,684 $40,758
Minnesota 77 84 0.478 28.9 $80,358 $1,410,024 $48,826
Oakland 83 79 0.512 34.4 $54,994 $699,832 $20,344
Seattle 59 103 0.364 10.4 $82,244 $1,462,832 $140,657
Texas 76 85 0.472 27.9 $148,792 $3,326,176 $119,337
Chi Cubs 64 98 0.395 15.4 $160,209 $3,645,852 $236,744
Montreal 90 72 0.556 41.4 $158,196 $3,589,488 $86,703
NY Mets 67 95 0.414 18.4 $126,488 $2,701,664 $146,830
Phldelphia 91 71 0.562 42.4 $221,274 $5,355,672 $126,313
Pittsburgh 83 59 0.585 46.1 $199,185 $4,737,180 $102,781
St. Louis 74 88 0.457 25.4 $173,480 $4,017,440 $158,167
Atlanta 81 80 0.503 32.9 $147,989 $3,303,692 $100,407
Cincinnati 89 73 0.549 40.4 $162,655 $3,714,340 $91,939
Houston 93 70 0.571 43.8 $176,720 $4,108,160 $93,731
LA 92 71 0.564 42.8 $183,124 $4,287,472 $100,091
San Diego 73 89 0.451 24.4 $138,978 $3,051,384 $125,057
San Fran 75 86 0.466 26.9 $148,265 $3,311,420 $123,258
The 1980 season opened under the cloud of a threatened mid-season labor stoppage. In March the players voted 973-1 to strike if the owners persisted in their demand that a club losing a free agent receive a major league player from the signing club as compensation–in effect converting the signing of a free agent into the equivalent of a trade. Hours before the strike deadline, the parties settled all other issues and agreed to revisit the compensation issue the next year.
On the diamond, the Philadelphia Phillies rode their league-leading payroll to their first (and so far only) World Championship. Owner Ruly Carpenter blames himself and his fellow owners for rising salaries, noting that “no court can compel you to spend millions on players.”
For proof, Carpenter needed to look no further than Oakland’s Charles O. Finley, who rode the majors’ lowest payroll to an 83-79 record in the year of Billyball. The Angels spent almost $4 million more to finish 17 games behind Oakland, while the Yankees spent twice as much as the Orioles, but finished just three games ahead.
Table 5. Marginal Payroll/Marginal Win, 1981
Team W L Pct Marg 8/31 Marg Marg $/
Wins Average Payroll Marg Win
Baltimore 59 46 0.562 42.4 $207,654 $4,904,312 $115,590
Boston 59 49 0.546 39.9 $223,252 $5,341,056 $133,861
Cleveland 52 51 0.505 33.2 $186,396 $4,309,088 $129,845
Detroit 60 49 0.550 40.6 $160,561 $3,585,708 $88,374
Milwaukee 62 47 0.569 43.5 $243,882 $5,918,696 $135,916
NY Yankees 59 48 0.551 40.7 $309,855 $7,765,940 $190,682
Toronto 37 69 0.349 7.9 $97,271 $1,813,588 $228,206
California 51 59 0.464 26.5 $259,404 $6,353,312 $239,665
Chi WSox 54 52 0.509 33.9 $192,658 $4,484,424 $132,174
Kansas City 50 53 0.485 30.0 $112,910 $2,251,480 $74,947
Minnesota 41 68 0.376 12.3 $85,736 $1,490,608 $120,836
Oakland 64 45 0.587 46.5 $148,065 $3,235,820 $69,559
Seattle 44 65 0.404 16.8 $95,263 $1,757,364 $104,639
Texas 57 48 0.543 39.3 $178,131 $4,077,668 $103,644
Chi Cubs 38 65 0.369 11.2 $125,117 $2,593,276 $232,227
Montreal 60 48 0.556 41.4 $195,958 $4,576,824 $110,551
NY Mets 41 62 0.398 15.9 $201,303 $4,726,484 $297,536
Phldelphia 59 48 0.551 40.7 $289,971 $7,209,188 $177,012
Pittsburgh 46 56 0.451 24.5 $206,359 $4,868,052 $199,031
St. Louis 59 43 0.578 45.1 $207,654 $4,904,312 $108,729
Atlanta 50 56 0.472 27.8 $195,449 $4,562,572 $164,032
Cincinnati 66 42 0.611 50.4 $201,557 $4,733,596 $93,921
Houston 61 49 0.555 41.2 $260,789 $6,392,092 $155,011
LA 63 47 0.573 44.2 $192,104 $4,468,912 $101,148
San Diego 41 69 0.373 11.8 $103,106 $1,976,968 $167,798
San Fran 56 55 0.505 33.1 $185,939 $4,296,292 $129,681
The standings above don’t tell the whole story. Nineteen-Eighty-One was the Year of the Dreaded Split Season, in which neither NL club with the best winning percentage in its division qualified for the postseason. The mid-season walkout, which blew a two-month hole in the schedule, ended with the owners accepting a bizarre form of indirect free agent compensation that satisfied no one.
Instead of acquiring a player from the signing club’s team, a club which lost a free agent could select one from the roster of any other club eligible to sign Type A free agents. A few years later, this provision allowed the White Sox to claim Tom Seaver from the Mets as compensation for losing Dennis Lamp to Toronto. The major league compensation draft was unceremoniously dropped during the next labor negotiations.
With the average player salary up over 250% in the first five years of free agency, Whitey Herzog told The Sporting News: “I think the bankruptcies will start in two or three years.” Herzog’s Cardinals were one of the NL’s most efficient spenders, while in the AL, those large-market powerhouses of Milwaukee and Oakland finished with their league’s best records. The NL East-winning Montreal Expos had the majors’ largest local media contracts. (No, that is not a misprint.)
Table 6. Marginal Payroll/Marginal Win, 1982
Team W L Pct Marg 8/31 Marg Marg $/
Wins Average Payroll Marg Win
Baltimore 94 68 0.580 45.4 $242,558 $5,853,624 $128,934
Boston 89 73 0.549 40.4 $247,513 $5,992,364 $148,326
Cleveland 78 84 0.481 29.4 $216,000 $5,110,000 $173,810
Detroit 83 79 0.512 34.4 $174,134 $3,937,752 $114,470
Milwaukee 95 67 0.586 46.4 $330,965 $8,329,020 $179,505
NY Yankees 79 83 0.488 30.4 $411,988 $10,597,664 $348,607
Toronto 78 84 0.481 29.4 $127,860 $2,642,080 $89,867
California 93 69 0.574 44.4 $423,403 $10,917,284 $245,885
Chi WSox 87 75 0.537 38.4 $247,673 $5,996,844 $156,168
Kansas City 90 72 0.556 41.4 $258,091 $6,288,548 $151,897
Minnesota 60 102 0.370 11.4 $67,335 $947,380 $83,104
Oakland 68 94 0.420 19.4 $266,335 $6,519,380 $336,051
Seattle 76 86 0.469 27.4 $114,405 $2,265,340 $82,677
Texas 64 98 0.395 15.4 $186,424 $4,281,872 $278,044
Chi Cubs 73 89 0.451 24.4 $220,662 $5,240,536 $214,776
Montreal 86 76 0.531 37.4 $299,192 $7,439,376 $198,914
NY Mets 65 97 0.401 16.4 $263,539 $6,441,092 $392,750
Phldelphia 89 73 0.549 40.4 $390,370 $9,992,360 $247,336
Pittsburgh 84 78 0.519 35.4 $251,234 $6,096,552 $172,219
St. Louis 92 70 0.568 43.4 $237,533 $5,712,924 $131,634
Atlanta 89 73 0.549 40.4 $209,492 $4,927,776 $121,975
Cincinnati 61 101 0.377 12.4 $203,532 $4,760,896 $383,943
Houston 77 85 0.475 28.4 $306,565 $7,645,820 $269,219
Los Angeles 88 74 0.543 39.4 $216,332 $5,119,296 $129,931
San Diego 81 81 0.500 32.4 $137,946 $2,924,488 $90,262
San Fran 87 75 0.537 38.4 $198,438 $4,618,264 $120,267
Before the 1982 season, Peter Gammons warned: “To those of you who don’t approve of the concept of revenue sharing in any form, what’s the future of competitive balance when the Yankees will have a payroll of $13 million in 1982 and the Seattle Mariners will probably have gross revenues of $6 million? Answer: None.” The Yankees’ $8.3 million spending advantage bought them three more wins than the Mariners.
Despite moving his Twins into a new stadium at the start of the season, Calvin Griffith seemed to be operating in a different league from everyone else. While his players earned far less than those on any other club, his relatives were well supported. When Griffith finally sold the Twins two years later, their employees included his sister, two brothers, son and two nephews.
This was the only season between 1977 and 1988 in which the Yankees did not have the AL’s highest payroll. The California Angels topped them by signing Reggie Jackson, appropriately enough. For the sixth year in a row, the Phillies had the NL’s most expensive roster, while for the second time but not the last, the Mets were the most wasteful spenders in the majors.
Table 7. Marginal Payroll/Marginal Win, 1983
Team W L Pct Marg 8/31 Marg Marg $/
Wins Average Payroll Marg Win
Baltimore 98 64 0.605 49.4 $305,305 $7,568,540 $153,209
Boston 78 84 0.481 29.4 $264,833 $6,435,324 $218,889
Cleveland 70 92 0.432 21.4 $242,134 $5,799,752 $271,016
Detroit 92 70 0.568 43.4 $263,899 $6,409,172 $147,677
Milwaukee 87 75 0.537 38.4 $352,061 $8,877,708 $231,190
NY Yankees 91 71 0.562 42.4 $463,867 $12,008,276 $283,214
Toronto 89 73 0.549 40.4 $213,087 $4,986,436 $123,427
California 70 92 0.432 21.4 $389,833 $9,935,324 $464,267
Chi WSox 99 63 0.611 50.4 $291,114 $7,171,192 $142,286
Kansas City 79 83 0.488 30.4 $309,962 $7,698,936 $253,254
Minnesota 70 92 0.432 21.4 $97,980 $1,763,440 $82,404
Oakland 74 88 0.457 25.4 $266,815 $6,490,820 $255,544
Seattle 60 102 0.370 11.4 $118,875 $2,348,500 $206,009
Texas 77 85 0.475 28.4 $180,848 $4,083,744 $143,794
Chi Cubs 71 91 0.438 22.4 $268,947 $6,550,516 $292,434
Montreal 82 80 0.506 33.4 $353,357 $8,913,996 $266,886
NY Mets 68 94 0.420 19.4 $463,987 $12,011,636 $619,156
Phldelphia 90 72 0.556 41.4 $442,165 $11,400,620 $275,377
Pittsburgh 84 78 0.519 35.4 $314,769 $7,833,532 $221,286
St. Louis 79 83 0.488 30.4 $259,393 $6,283,004 $206,678
Atlanta 88 74 0.543 39.4 $347,620 $8,753,360 $222,166
Cincinnati 74 88 0.457 25.4 $239,068 $5,713,904 $224,957
Houston 85 77 0.525 36.4 $364,825 $9,235,100 $253,712
LA 91 71 0.562 42.4 $288,555 $7,099,540 $167,442
San Diego 81 81 0.500 32.4 $261,820 $6,350,960 $196,017
San Fran 79 83 0.488 30.4 $248,204 $5,969,712 $196,372
For the second season in a row, none of the four division winners repeated as champions. This would seem to be strong evidence that baseball’s economic system was working, but small-market clubs were already lobbying for 25% sharing of all local revenues.
In their first winning season, the Toronto Blue Jays claimed the title of MLB’s most efficient winning team. (The Minnesota Twins actually spent less, but they weren’t really trying to win.) The Yankees set the tone for the rest of the decade by spending a fortune to finish third, while the surprising White Sox ran off with their division by 20 games.
Philadelphia’s “Wheeze Kids” limped to another division title, while somehow being outspent by the Mets. In the closely bunched NL West, most clubs got more or less what they paid for, but the Dodgers’ superior efficiency helped them defeat the higher-spending Braves and Astros.
Table 8. Marginal Payroll/Marginal Win, 1984
Team W L Pct Marg 8/31 Marg Marg $/
Wins Average Payroll Marg Win
Baltimore 98 64 0.605 49.4 $305,305 $7,568,540 $153,209
Baltimore 85 77 0.525 36.4 $360,204 $8,965,712 $246,311
Boston 86 76 0.531 37.4 $297,878 $7,220,584 $193,064
Cleveland 75 87 0.463 26.4 $159,774 $3,353,672 $127,033
Detroit 104 58 0.642 55.4 $371,332 $9,277,296 $167,460
Milwaukee 67 94 0.416 18.8 $385,215 $9,666,020 $513,709
NY Yankees 87 75 0.537 38.4 $458,544 $11,719,232 $305,188
Toronto 89 73 0.549 40.4 $295,632 $7,157,696 $177,171
California 81 81 0.500 32.4 $431,431 $10,960,068 $338,274
Chi W Sox 74 88 0.457 25.4 $447,281 $11,403,868 $448,971
Kansas City 84 78 0.519 35.4 $291,160 $7,032,480 $198,658
Minnesota 81 81 0.500 32.4 $172,024 $3,696,672 $114,095
Oakland 77 85 0.475 28.4 $382,027 $9,576,756 $337,210
Seattle 74 88 0.457 25.4 $168,505 $3,598,140 $141,659
Texas 69 92 0.429 20.8 $247,081 $5,798,268 $278,380
Chi Cubs 96 65 0.596 48.0 $422,194 $10,701,432 $222,964
Montreal 78 83 0.484 29.9 $368,557 $9,199,596 $307,839
NY Mets 90 72 0.556 41.4 $282,952 $6,802,656 $164,315
Phldelphia 81 81 0.500 32.4 $401,476 $10,121,328 $312,387
Pittsburgh 75 87 0.463 26.4 $330,661 $8,138,508 $308,277
St. Louis 84 78 0.519 35.4 $290,886 $7,024,808 $198,441
Atlanta 80 82 0.494 31.4 $402,869 $10,160,332 $323,577
Cincinnati 70 92 0.432 21.4 $269,019 $6,412,532 $299,651
Houston 80 82 0.494 31.4 $382,991 $9,603,748 $305,852
LA 79 83 0.488 30.4 $316,530 $7,742,840 $254,699
San Diego 92 70 0.568 43.4 $311,199 $7,593,572 $174,967
San Fran 66 96 0.407 17.4 $282,132 $6,779,696 $389,638
Between 1983 and 1984, the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets rocketed from the bottom to the top of the NL East. A comparison of their payrolls showed they took very different paths. The Cubs’ payroll jumped 50% as they built on the acquisitions of Bob Dernier, Gary Matthews, Dennis Eckersley and especially Rick Sutcliffe. The Mets added by subtracting, lowering their payroll by more than one-third even as they improved by 22 games in the standings.
New Mets manager Dave Johnson constructed the majors’ youngest roster of regulars. Met hitters averaged 26 years of age, while behind rookies Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling and Sid Fernandez, Met pitchers had an average age of 25. The nucleus put in place by Johnson would remain through 1988, winning two titles and finishing a close second in the other seasons.
Nineteen-eighty-four’s best team, the Detroit Tigers, were 30 games over .500 before Memorial Day and cruised to the World Series triumph. The largely homegrown Tigers were almost as efficient as the Mets, while the aging Brewers spent more for less than any other club.
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