Gutter: Cheapskate update - 4/15

Time for an update in the running for the first-ever Tired Huddled Masses Award, otherwise known as the Cheapskate.

To refresh:

The Cheapskate will honor the Major League Baseball team that does the most with the least (formula explained here). The contenders are the four teams with the lowest annual salaries (according to this list):




Pittsburgh ($49,365,283)
Oakland ($47,967,126)
Tampa Bay ($43,820,598)
Florida ($21,836,500)

Obviously the Marlins have an advantage, since their payroll is less than half of any of the other three; at the same time, one would guess that the paltry payroll should make it more difficult to amass wins.

Nevertheless, Florida got off to a strong start, taking an early lead in the initial standings by spending a mere $202,000 per win. But the Marlins went 1-2 in a weekend series against the Astros, which will up the cost per win. Oakland stayed hot, taking three of four games since Friday. The Rays split their four games in the past four days, while the mighty Buccos have now strung together four-straight wins after sweeping the Reds and taking game one from the Dodgers.

Here are the latest standings in the race for the Cheapskate:

Record: 7-5
Standing: 1st in NL East
Games back: 0
Money spent per win: $231,074.07


Record: 9-5
Standing: 1st in AL West
Games back: 0
Money spent per win: $460,589.67


Record: 7-6
Standing: 4th in NL Central
Games back: 2
Money spent per win: $565,915.94




Record: 6-7
Standing: 5th in AL East
Games back: 2
Money spent per win: $586,077.96


A few observations on the most recent standings:

- Two of the four lowest salaries in the MLB are currently leading their divisions, and none of the four are more than two games back.

- Three of the four teams currently have winning records.

- The Pirates' four-game winning streak cut their cost per win almost in half, from $914,171.91 to $565,915.94.

- Oakland continues to be the strongest team, winning six of its last seven, with eight quality starts through 14 games and a team ERA of 3.35, good for second-best in the AL. Sustainability is always the question, but the A's are off to a good start.




Stay tuned for updated standings in the competition for the Tired Huddled Masses Award. Updates will be posted every few days.