Mariner Snow day

While the M's take the day off yet again, it seemed like a good time to look at the teams payroll and how it compares to its peers. The FO will never come forward and tell you their budget beforehand, but by opening day it becomes public knowledge. The big-spending Mariners as we know are part of the $100 million payroll club for the first time this year. Here's the current list of big spenders, courtesy of USA Today:

Yankees- $189.6 million
Red Sox- $143 million
Mets- $115.2 million
Angels- $109.2 million
White Sox- $108.7 million
Dodgers- $108.4 million
Mariners- $106.5 million

I'd have to say the Mariners have less talent then any team on the list, although in their defense every team listed also has serious holes. Even the mighty Yankees have a suspect bench and a look at their current starting rotation shows even $190 million can't buy everything.

It is interesting to see the Angels still ahead of the Mariners in payroll. They have more talent in the system and apparently the ability to sustain a healthy budget over a long period of time. They will likely remain a challenge for some time to come. Forget the A's, the Angels look to be the long term threat in terms of resources and commitment. The fact they also have a WS ring can not be ignored.

Anyway, on to Boston and back (hopefully) to playing baseball.