Historical Payroll Tool

[PseudoSABR]

MLB Past and Future Payrolls

via fan graphs

 

Super neat tool that allows you to sift through the different years (from 1998) and teams. Given how much we argue about payroll around here, it might be for fun for some.

[Guest USAFChief]

Pretty neat, Pseudo. Thanks for posting.

[DaveW]

It is really nice to see the Twins with so little payroll obligations next year, and even more so in 2015. This team absolutely needs to make a big splash in FA over the next two years. I'm not saying they need to go give a 7 year 150 mil contract, but they need a few multi year 30-50 million deals to supplement the youngsters coming up IMO.

[Siehbiscuit]

It is really nice to see the Twins with so little payroll obligations next year, and even more so in 2015. This team absolutely needs to make a big splash in FA over the next two years. I'm not saying they need to go give a 7 year 150 mil contract, but they need a few multi year 30-50 million deals to supplement the youngsters coming up IMO.

 

That is one thing with the Twins that has me second (and third) guessing the FO's payroll strategy. As things stand in 2015 and going forward SO many players will be under team control and making the less than $600K. But by 2018-2020, guys like Buxton, Sano, Arcia, Hicks, Gibson, Rosario, Meyer and maybe even a guy like Kohl Stewart will be close to free agency or an early extension. I am sure that Buxton and Sano will be given some type of early extension that buys-out at least a year or two of free agency, but that is still a lot of contracts coming due at the same time. It's be nice to be able to keep the Santana's, Cuddyers and Hunters that we develop.

 

I'd like to see some balance: 3-4 veteran players on multi-year deals (approximately $50-65M in payroll), 3-4 younger guys "bought out" ($25-45M) and the remaining guys can be FA fillers if needed or pre-arb guys like Hicks and Arcia are now. The Twins SHOULD be able to keep its payroll around $100-120M, but who are we kidding?

[Sssuperdave]

That is one thing with the Twins that has me second (and third) guessing the FO's payroll strategy. As things stand in 2015 and going forward SO many players will be under team control and making the less than $600K. But by 2018-2020, guys like Buxton, Sano, Arcia, Hicks, Gibson, Rosario, Meyer and maybe even a guy like Kohl Stewart will be close to free agency or an early extension. I am sure that Buxton and Sano will be given some type of early extension that buys-out at least a year or two of free agency, but that is still a lot of contracts coming due at the same time. It's be nice to be able to keep the Santana's, Cuddyers and Hunters that we develop.

 

I'd like to see some balance: 3-4 veteran players on multi-year deals (approximately $50-65M in payroll), 3-4 younger guys "bought out" ($25-45M) and the remaining guys can be FA fillers if needed or pre-arb guys like Hicks and Arcia are now. The Twins SHOULD be able to keep its payroll around $100-120M, but who are we kidding?

 

 

It's probably too early to worry about paying all those guys at the same time. If they all pan out that would be a huge success. However, the danger you're describing does kind of resemble what happened in 2011 when payroll was all the way up to $112M. There were 13 guys that made $3M or more (Mauer, Morneau, Nathan, Cuddyer, Pavano, Capps, Young, Kubel, Baker, Liriano, Blackburn, Thome, and Nishioka). If my memory serves me right 9 of those (all except Pavano, Capps, Thome, and Nishioka) were guys that had been with the Twins since before they were arbitration eligible. (not sure on Young or Nathan)