The Florida Marlins once again finished first in the cost-per-win index. Big surprise.
Across the Everglades and down Route 95 sits the team with the lowest-cost-per-win in the majors: the Florida Marlins. They spent $259,661 for each victory. Given that the minimum baseball salary in 2008 reached $390,000 per player, all teams were required to spend at least $9.75 million to field a 25-man roster; the Marlins didn’t earmark a whole lot more, shelling out less than $22 million to the entire squad.
Actually, the numbers aren't quite representative of what the Marlins spent on the field labor cost. First you have to take out the total of $4,000,000, paid to Delgado, Leiter, Castillo and Urbina. That's right, the Marlins paid someone in prison.
When the non-roster players are removed from the equation, the Marlins spent only $17,811,500 on the entire squad initially, however, Gonzo made all of his incentives and earned an extra $1,000,000. (200-500 PA appearances). So the total comes to be $18,811,500, or there about.
Given the fact that the Marlins won 84 games and doing some simple math, the Marlins actually spent $223,946 for each victory.
I'm not sure this is something to proud of, or not. But it does speak volumes about the job the baseball operations people do given the limited budget they are always saddle with. (In case you didn't know: baseball operations includes not only Beinfest, Jennings, et al. But also the scouts and the coaches.)