Come To Think Of It: Despite Shrinking Payrolls, Cubs Spending More

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, baseball's economy has resulted in lower payrolls for 14 of the MLB's 30 teams. The Cubs, however, actually had the largest bump in payroll, increasing $16.5 million over 2008.

In fact, many of the teams that are reducing payroll are slashing by $10 million or more.

The news that baseball teams are spending less should not be surprising for those of us who watched the mid-tier free agents try to find homes this offseason. Heck, this emulates what many major corporations are doing in this sunken economy.

"The average salary saw a modest 4% increase, to $3.26 million. But even the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have cut payrolls", writes Nightengale.

Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf brings up a good point.

"That is an amazing number," Reinsdorf says. "This isn't just the baseball economy. But the owners who subsidized losses for their team with their businesses don't have businesses as profitable anymore."

But Cubs fans who don't follow such things closely (like those who actually have a life) may be surprised to learn that the team did increase its payroll this year.

The surprise may be because we all saw how the team allowed closer Kerry Wood to leave via free agency, without even offering arbitration to the long-time Cubs pitcher. And, the Mark DeRosa and Jason Marquis trades were considered by many to be salary dumps.

The Cubs (at $134.8 million) have their largest payroll in team history. Back-loaded contracts had something to do with that number.

Alfonso Soriano's salary jumped $3 million over 2008, and Carlos Zambrano's salary increased by almost as much. 

Other escalating contracts include Aramis Ramirez and Rich Harden. New or acquired contracts to Ryan Dempster, Milton Bradley, Kevin Gregg and Luis Vizcaino, among others, also have contributed to the payroll bump.

Notably, Ted Lilly's 2009 salary increases by $5 million over the previous year and Kosuke Fukudome will see (maybe not quite "earn") an even bigger jump, by $5.5 million over 2008.

Perhaps just as surprising to many is the fact that, despite the signing of major free agents CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and AJ Burnett, the Yankees reduced payroll by $8 million.

Sure, the Yanks still lead all of baseball with an obscene $201.4 million payroll. But expiring contracts more than made up for the additional signings. 

Nightengale also writes that "The Philadelphia Phillies, the 2008 World Series champions, are the only other big-market team (other than the Cubs) to increase their payrolls by more than $3 million." 

He goes on to write "In contrast, the San Diego Padres slashed their payroll by nearly $20 million. They have baseball's second-lowest payroll at $43.8 million, higher than only the Florida Marlins."

It's the economy, stupid. But the Cubs bypassing that trend will be worth it if they can finally win it all. After waiting more than one hundred years, Cubs fans deserve a little raise, come to think of it.