Chicago Cubs: Breaking down LCS teams and their payroll

Oct 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs fans celebrate after Chicago Cubs second baseman

(9) hits a three run home run during the second inning of game four of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

After the New York Mets knocked out the Los Angeles Dodgers, setting up an NLCS date with the Chicago Cubs, it’s time to look at the four LCS teams’ payrolls and what the numbers mean.

Money can’t buy championships.

At least, that’s what one would like to think, despite the evidence to the contrary (yes, I’m looking at you late-90s, early-2000s New York Yankees). But with the Dodgers and their $314 million roster headed home for the offseason after losing to the Mets Thursday night, it begs the question: does money equal success?

It’s not hard to draw a line between the two: in the San Francisco Giants’ last two World Series runs, the organization ranked third and eighth, respectively, in payroll. In 2013, sandwiched between the Giants’ two titles, the Boston Red Sox won it all with the third-highest payroll in the game.

That being said, that same season, the Yankees had the second-highest payroll in baseball  and finished a dozen games out of first in the American League East, failing to even make the postseason. Last year, the Angels had a payroll totaling nearly $170 million – and after a dominant regular season, fell to the Kansas City Royals in an ALDS sweep.

So with that brief recap of payroll and its correlation to success in recent years in-tow, let’s look at the four remaining teams in this year’s postseason picture and break down their payroll.

Next: New York Mets