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

Oct 14, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher

reacts after retiring the Houston Astros in the 8th inning in game five of the ALDS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Royals – $125,375,000

Cost Per Win: $1,319,736

After reaching the World Series last season, only to run into the buzzsaw that was Madison Bumgarner, Dayton Moore and the Royals front office went back to work this year with one goal in-mind: win it all.

They parted ways over the winter with fan favorite Billy Butler, opting to bring in pieces such as Kendrys Morales and Alex Rios – moves that were somewhat criticized at the time. At the Trade Deadline, the Royals made a huge splash, trading for Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto to bolster the starting rotation.

Rios was hardly an impact bat, driving in just 32 runs for KC, but he earned more than every other Royals player not named Alex Gordon. The Kansas City outfielder, who is set to hit free agency after the 2015 campaign, earned $16 million this year – putting up an .809 OPS, his best mark since the 2012 season.

Set to square off with the powerful Toronto Blue Jays offense, the Royals will have their hands full; their success will likely be decided by how Cueto and Yordano Ventura perform in the ALCS, which seems to be a feast-or-famine outcome too often for most fans’ liking.

Next: Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs – $133,193,810

Cost Per Win: $1,373,132

Last winter, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer signaled the end of the rebuild, or at least the end of languishing in the cellar of the National League Central, when they signed free agent left-hander Jon Lester, brought in Miguel Montero and traded for veteran outfielder Dexter Fowler.

What followed was historic: the Cubs won 97 games, the third-best record in all of baseball, but unfortunately the third-best record in the Central. They defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road in the one-game NL Wild Card play-in contest before taking care of St. Louis in four games in the NLDS.

Like the Mets, Chicago benefits greatly from the inexpensive nature of most of their key players. Jake Arrieta is by far the most glaring example of this; despite being a front-runner for the National League Cy Young, the right-hander made just $3.63 million this season – less than Tsuyoshi Wada, who spent most of the year at Triple-A Iowa.

The front office helped control costs long-term when they locked up Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro to team-friendly, long-term deals in recent years; moves like this allowed Epstein and Hoyer to give Lester the richest deal in team history, with a total 2015 value of $20 million.

With Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell all making less than $1 million this season, flexibility abounds – for now. But, as with the Mets’ young pitching, this roster will get pricey in years to come.

Next: Toronto Blue Jays

Oct 8, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the first inning in game one of the ALDS at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Fred Thornhill-Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Blue Jays –$138,309,664

Cost Per Win: $1,487,200

At almost $1.5 million per win, the Blue Jays paid more per win than any other remaining postseason team – but if you ask fans north of the border, they’d say it was worth every penny.

Just days after the Detroit Tigers said left-hander David Price wasn’t going to made available, Toronto swooped in and picked up the coveted ace, immediately bolstering their starting rotation for the stretch-run.

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Of course, that move cost the Jays several notable prospects and $7-million plus in payroll, but Price dominated down the stretch, leading Toronto to its first American East crown in decades. Along with the southpaw, the Blue Jays front office made a long-term splash, trading for Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki – showing they were, indeed, in it to win it.

With these moves came the expectation of October and, had the Jays not fended off the Texas Rangers’ efforts in the ALDS, Alex Anthopoulos may have found himself on a hot seat this winter. However, that’s not how it played out and the moves seem to have worked well for the Jays.

What makes Toronto’s long-term success even more likely is the fact they have a good chunk of money coming off the books this winter in Mark Buehrle ($19 MM), Price ($7.5 MM) and former Chicago Cubs backstop Dioner Navarro ($5 MM). Expect those resources to go right back into a starting pitcher to slot alongside Marcus Stroman atop the staff in 2016.

Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?