As the team who pays more in salaries in the Major Leagues, this data was fun to look over (and hopefully to read). But before we start trashing the Yankees for spending so much money, let me say a couple of things. I think the Yankees had a productive off-season last year by picking up veterans like Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez, Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon.

They were not expensive pickups and the production they provided to the Bronx Bombers was probably more than they and everyone who follows this sport, would’ve expected. I do believe though, that they overpaid for a setup man when they signed Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35-million deal (actually the Marlins got a closer, Heath Bell, this off season for the same length and $5 million less), but after all, that was the Yankees being the Yankees. But even with that, the Yankees still managed to reduce their payroll by 2.3 percent compared to 2010.

In 2011, the Yankees won 97 games (48 games above the 49 games won line) and paid $202,689,028 in salaries. This means they spent $3,985,250.58 for every win they earned above 49.

Their top five paid players were:

– Alex Rodriguez($32,000,000): Rodriguez hit .276/.362/.461 with 16 HR’s, 62 RBI’s, 67 runs and a .823 OPS. Rodriguez earned $2,000,000 for every home run he hit, or $516,129.03 for every RBI he got, or $206,451.51 every time he got on base.

– C.C. Sabathia($24,285,714): Sabathia went 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 237.1 innings in 2011. For every win, he earned $1,278,195.47, for every strikeout $105,590.06.

– Mark Teixeira($23,125,000): Teixeira hit .248/.341/.494 with 39 HR’s, 111 RBI’s, 90 runs and a .835 OPS. He earned $592,948.72 for every homer he hit, or $208,333.33 for every run he batted in, or $99,248.93 for every time he got on base.

– A.J. Burnett ($16,500,000): Burnett went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA and 173 strikeouts in 190.1 innings throughout 33 games, 32 starts. Burnett earned $1,500,000 for every game he won or $95,375.72 for every strikeout.

– Mariano Rivera ($14,911,701): Rivera went 1-2 with a 1.91 ERA, 60 strikeouts and 44 saves in 61.1 innings. Rivera earned $338,902.30 for every game he saved.

The Yankees had a collective OBP of .343, a SLG of .444 and a .788 OPS. The Bombers scored 867 runs, meaning they spent $233,782.04 for every run they scored.

When you talk about the Yankees and salaries you will, most likely bring A-Rod’s name into the conversation. Because he’s the highest paid player in the Majors, and because his offensive numbers haven’t been the same as of late. I know he has been battling injuries the past couple of years, but his extremely high salary brings out the question, is there a player who could produce at a similar level as Rodriguez but for a fraction of his salary? The answer is yes, and by a fraction, I mean probably $30 million less that what Rodriguez earns a year.

I’m not saying Rodriguez is a bad player, or that he doesn’t deserve his reputation, or the money. He was the best Major League hitter for a long time, and he will probably break Barry Bond’s HR record, but financially speaking, A-Rod was as inefficient as it comes, at least for this season. Although I must point out that Rodriguez had a higher OBP this season compared to 2010, even though his batting average was lower.

Moving on to another low point for the Yankees, Burnett, the $16.5 million pitcher had a 5.15 ERA. While I do believe that ERA is not a stat that depends entirely on the pitcher, the stats that entirely depend on him weren’t that impressive. He allowed 1.5 HR/9 and 3.9 BB/9, although he struck out 8.2 per nine innings. He also threw an incredible 25 wild pitches.

Another of the top five paid Yankee who has a disappointing season was Teixeira. The Yankees first baseman had a .341 OBP this season, and his OBP, and BA have been declining about .020 points per season since 2008, something that should be take into account.

Of the five top paid Yankees only two had good seasons, Sabathia and Rivera. The other three, Rodriguez, Burnett and Teixeira, who earn a total of $71,625,000 out of a $202,689,028 payroll (35%) had disappointing seasons. The reason why the Yankees, although somehow financially ineffective, are still successful is because they have incredible financial flexibility. They are capable of overpaying for a player that doesn’t pan out then going out and buying another player.

I do understand though that when you pay $32 million for Rodriguez, you’re not only paying for a .341 OBP guy. You’re paying for a guy who’s going to sell jerseys, a guy who’s going to be on the news every week, a media guy. You’re paying for a guy who is going to bring people to the stadium and the closer he gets to Bond’s HR record the more baseball fans will bring. All those “intangibles” are attached to Rodriguez’s salary, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Basically, his salary has probably more “intangibles” than offensive attributes attached to it, but there’s not much you can do about it. Players like Rodriguez will always go to teams like the Yankees, and players who can produce at a similar level, but not in a flashy way will go to smaller market teams. And finding those players is the key to succeeding in baseball for teams with limited resources.

Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.