The New York Yankees have three men on the disabled list worth millions and millions of dollars. They could come out with a rap song bragging about how much dough they have on their DL. However, things aren't fun and games when breaking down the math. The team is old, they lack power and they have more money on their DL than six teams have on their entire payroll. Find out which teams right here.
Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez are the guys on the DL and they are worth $65.5 million between the three of them.
Houston Astros $15.1 Million (Est. $25.1 Million if bonuses applied at end of year)
The Yankees' DL could pay the Astros' payroll four times over and still have $4.6 million left to invest on Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson or any of many free agents still out on the market.
The Astros aren't really loaded with stars. You might find some valuable guys like Jose Altuve, J.D. Martinez, Bud Norris or Carlos Peña, but that's about it. Norris, who's a starting pitcher, is the highest paid Astro making $3 million a year.
Miami Marlins- $36.8 Million (Est. $45.5 Million with bonuses)
We all heard the news. They put it in casual terms, but the Marlins are simply a mess. After having a roster that could have and should have competed in the N.L East, the Marlins have the second lowest payroll in the Bigs. Giancarlo Stanton is the last commodity left in the Marlins and he wasn't too happy with the trade that sent almost everybody, but him and the mascot, packing north to Toronto.
Adeiny Hechevarria, Donovan Solano and Henderson Alvarez will be young stars to follow in this squad.
Oakland Athletics- $52.7 Million (Est. $58.2 Million with bonuses)
No surprise here. Billy Beane is the godfather of money ball or simply the more famous practitioner of the system. Last year, his team won the A.L. West and almost met with the Yankees in the ALCS.
These guys are still competitive and have a ton of talented young arms.
Pittsburgh Pirates $54.8 Million (Est. $59.8 Million with bonuses)
The Pirates seem to be competitive right up until after the All-Star break and they played in a division with six teams where the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals also play. They built their team around young stars like Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez, while A.J. Burnett proved valuable to their starting rotation.
Tampa Bay Rays- $56.4 Million (Est. $59.9 Million with bonuses)
Let's face it. We could be talking about the 2013 A.L. East champions right now. The Rays have an incredible balance of young stars and veteran guys. They are built around pitching and David Price is one of the best pitchers in the majors, not just the American League.
Joe Maddon always finds a way to win. He's sort of like the Bruce Bochy of the A.L., but without the two championship rings. With the Yankees possibly facing some struggles in April and May, the Rays have a chance to run away with the East, if they also can remain healthy and get off to a quick start.
San Diego Padres- $58.4 Million ($62.9 Million with bonuses)
Well, the Padres haven't been competitve in a while, but they have some young stars on their team.
There you have it. Six teams that are worth less than the Yankees' DL. It would be interesting if another star goes down in the beginning of the season. Then we can increase the list.
Teams like the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles are only $20-30 million more than the Yankees' DL and these two teams could possibly be in the playoffs while the Yankees vacation in October.
Good thing the Brian Cashman doesn't play. Not even members of the Yankees' front office can remain healthy.
