Oakland Athletics
The total payroll for the 2018 Nationals 25 man roster is a hair shy of 130 million dollars. That teams produced 82 wins. The Athletics roster costs half of the Nats team, at just under $64 million. and won 15 more games.
Seven of the top nine teams regarding payroll are playoff teams. The Athletics, ranked 25th, are in and not a team to take lightly.
Former National Blake Treinen spearheads this team after breaking out and becoming the best relief pitcher in baseball. This season, Treinen boasts a league-best 0.78 ERA and reliever-best 3.6 WAR. He ranks second in FIP at 1.82 and tied for fourth in saves with 38.
This team also includes former Nationals such as Shawn Kelley, Yusmeiro Petit, and Edwin Jackson.
What’s most impressive about this year’s A’s squad is their offense. Despite playing in an extremely pitcher-friendly ballpark, the A’s have a top-five offense in the MLB.
The A’s have the 3rd most HR’s in the league, the 4th highest SLG, and 5th highest wOBA. The park-adjusted metric wRC+ pins the A’s in a three-way tie for second place at 110 with the Red Sox and Astros.
The A’s deserve praise because of their underdog status. Before this season, the A’s projected win total in Vegas was 74.5. They shattered that mark and are looking to get 12 more.
In the AL Wild Card game, they will go into New York to face the Yankees and their Bronx Bombers.