According to the Baseball Almanac, the definition of the term “moneyball” is: the business of baseball in which skill and fans seem secondary to money, and in which clubs, hoping to secure winning seasons and the resulting broadcasting and merchandising incomes, negotiate expensive contracts with desirable players.” In 2003, Michael Lewis wrote a novel titled “Moneyball”, which was later made into the hit movie starring Brad Pitt. It told the story (loosely) about the Oakland A’s general manager, Billy Beane, as he attempts to build a successful baseball team with a tremendously low amount of money. It is a story about a man building a competitive roster with limited resources, and people love it.
Everyone loves an underdog story, especially when the underdog starts winning games because of their new strategy. In today’s game, the budget is not nearly as low as the 2002, with a budget of just $41 million. However, the same teams have consistently been able to afford top-tier talent, unlike other organizations in baseball. The question is, is this method of baseball successful, and can it actually work?
Today, I am going to deep dive into teams with some of the lowest budgets in baseball over the past 25 years and document their success. No team is going to have a lower budget than the early 2000s in the modern day; however, I will account for any team paying less than $100 million to be considered as Moneyball.
Let’s dive in.
*Research today will becoming from Steve the Ump, Baseball Reference., and The Baseball Cube.
2019 Tampa Bay Rays
Total Payroll – $60,444,931 (30th)
The Tampa Bay Rays have always been one of the cheapest teams in all of sports. Even saying that, they have consistently been a competing force with the American League. They had been a solid team in recent years, winning 90 games in the season prior; however, this is the season where the Tampa Bay Rays put the league on notice using Moneyball tactics.
Tampa Bay won 96 games, finishing second in the American League West. Their lineup was comprised of players brought up through their system, and was relatively young. Austin Meadows became a one-year wonder, becoming an All-Star and leading the team in WAR (4.0). Willy Adames broke onto the scene at just 23-years-old, as well as Brandon Lowe, who became an All-Star this season. Jiman Choi, Yandy Diaz, Tommy Pham, and Avisail Garcia helped complete a great lineup, all finishing with near or better than an .800 OPS. However, the lineup was decent, but the pitching staff is where the Tampa Rays gained notoriety.
In 2018, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded outfielder Austin Meadows and right-hander Tyler Glasnow for right-hander Chris Archer. This would become one of the biggest fleeces in MLB history, giving the Tampa Bay Rays one of their best players in franchise history. Tyler Glasnow pitched just twelve games this season, but he finished the season with a 1.78 ERA. However, he was the second-best pitcher in the starting rotation, as Charlie Morton led the way, having a career year and finishing third for the American League Cy Young. Ryne Stanek and future Cy Young Blake Snell head down their end of the rotation and helped lead Tampa Bay to one of their best seasons in franchise history.
Charlie Morton was the highest-paid player on the roster, having an AAV of $15 million, followed by Blake Snell at $10 million and Kevin Kiermaier at $8.9 million. To put that into perspective, Charlie Morton was the 75th highest-paid player in all of baseball in 2019. An incredible feat, especially for a team that would win 96 games that season.
The success would continue into the postseason, defeating the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card game. However, they would meet their match in the ALDS, pushing the eventual champion Houston Astros to five games and ultimately falling short.
In 2020, the season was cut short due to COVID-19, however, success would continue for the Tampa Bay Rays, reaching the World Series for the first time in franchise history. They would lose in six games. Even with that loss, this team is who many claim restarted the Moneyball method, and many teams have followed in their footsteps since the 2019 season.
2018 Oakland Athletics
Total Payroll – $68,534,631 (30th)
Just a year prior to the Tampa Bay Rays winning 96 games, the Oakland Athletcs we’re at the very bottom of the payroll column. However, they were even better than the Tampa Bay Rays, and they constructed their team very differently. Oakland’s lineup was loaded with young talent, as well as veteran leadership. With key free agent signings and stellar development, Oakland has built one of the best squads in baseball in 2018.
Oakland won 97 games in 2018, making it one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. From top to bottom, this lineup was incredible offensively and defensively. Matt Chapman, Khris Davis, and Jed Lowrie led the way offensively, each of them finishing top-20 in MVP voting. These players were great, but what made the lineup special was the depth. At 24-years-old, Matt Olsen won a Gold Glove, Marcus Semien held down short stop, and Chad Pinder, Mark Canha, and Stephen Piscotty anchored the outfield. While this one of the best offensive lineups in baseball, they put the MLB on notice with elite defense. Chapman and Olsen were one of the best corner duos in the sport, as well as Semien and Lowrie up the middle.
When looking at the pitching staff, nothing screams “97 win pitching staff”. This staff was consistent and filled with depth. Sean Manaea led the starting rotation in WAR (2.9) and finished the season with a 3.59 ERA. At 25-years-old, Frankie Montas showed flashes of becoming a potential ace. Oakland had an incredible amount of starts from different pitchers this year, including Edwin Jackson, Brett Anderson, Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt, Kendall Graveman, Paul Blackburn, and Daniel Gossett. The bullpen was lights out, led by Blake Treinen with 4.4 WAR and 0.78 ERA. The staff was not as good as Tampa Bay’s, but everything just panned out perfectly in 2018.
Money pinching was at an all-time high in Oakland, as Khris Davis was the highest paid athletic at just $10.5 million, making him the 113rd highest paid player in the MLB. Jeurys Familia was second on the team with $7.9 million, followed by multiple $6-$5 million deals.
If you have ever watch the movie “Moneyball” the first scenes are Oakland falling to the very expensive New York Yankees. So the ending of the 2018 season was poetic, as they would once again fall to New York, losing in the Wild Card game. Led by Mr. Moneyball Billy Beane, this team was able to create a stellar squad by developing talent early and snagging key players are cheap contracts. Unfortunately, Oakland has moved to Las Vegas, forcing themselves out of Oakland, and putting a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.
2023 Baltimore Orioles
Total Payroll – $52,157,966
This is the cheapest team on the list, and they would end up winning the most games out of any of these squads, however, their story of turnaround is incredible. After years of finishing as one of the worst teams in baseball, former No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman gets the call to the big leagues in 2022, and things turn around. Baltimore would win 83 games and become one of the most fun, young teams in all of baseball. Nobody could have imagined the kind of season that Baltimore would have in 2023.
Statistically, nothing catches your attention immediately when looking at this roster. Adley Rutschman fully broke out, becoming one of the best catchers in baseball. Gunnar Henderson had a stellar rookie season, winning American League Rookie of the Year. Ryan Mountcastle, Ryan O’Hearn, Austin Hays, and Anthony Santander filled out a solid lineup. Youngsters like Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser made impacts in limited time. Hays and Rutschman become All-Stars, but this team played well off of chemistry. Most of these players were in the minor leagues and on the big league roster for the horrendous years, making this season even more special.
The pitching staff was young, just like the rest of the roster. Kyle Bradish enjoyed a breakout season, finishing with a 2.83 ERA and 4th in American League Cy Young Voting. Tyler Wells had an 112 ERA+, and Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, and 23-year old Grayson Rodriguez help down the rest of the rotation eating innings and getting wins. The bullpen became the anchor of the team, led by incredible seasons by Felix Bautista (1.48 ERA) and Yennier Cano (2.11 ERA). Danny Coulombe, Cionel Perez, and Bryan Baker were go-to arms and did their job to help this team secure over 100 wins.
Right hander Kyle Gibson signed a one-year deal in the offseason, becoming the highest paid player on the roster at just $10 million AAV. Adam Frazier and Anthony Santander were just below him, making $7-$8 million. Just like the other two teams on this list, Baltimore developed within the organization and used their high draft picks to create a 101 win team.
While everyone in America was rooting for Baltimore, the lights were too bright. They would be swept in three games in the ALDS by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. After this season, Baltimore would win 91 games in 2024, and would get swept in the Wild Card Series against the Kansas City Royals. Even though they have not seen any playoff wins, 2023 will go down in Baltimore history as one of the best regular seasons the franchise has ever seen.
The Final Scoreboard
Looking back in history, moneyball is a strategy that has been used consistently by the same organizations. Looking at the three teams that were broke down, these rosters were built through drafting, finding free agent gems, and great development. However, time as shown that the more money you spend, the better chance that you have of winning a World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers looked weaker than usually in the 2025 regular season, but when the postseason started, they played like the jaugernaut we all thought they would be.
With a potential lockout and the qeustions surrounding a salary floor and cap (read my article on it), the strategy could be coming to an end. Regardless of the outcome of future financial rule changes, moneyball will always be a strategical and challenging way to play at a competitive level while spending a small amount of money.
Is moneyball effective? You can be one of the top teams in the regular season, but when the postseason comes around, we start to understand why teams pay top dollar for talent.
