Rethinking Albert Pujols' Demands In Light Of Playoff Team' Payroll

As the Cardinals look toward this offseason with an eye toward extending Albert Pujols’s contract, they may want to look at the payrolls for this year’s playoff teams to gauge whether such an expense (as the extension is sure to be) is necessary. After all, the Texas Rangers, Tampa Rays and Cincinnati Reds all have payrolls under the league average. Since 2001, here are the playoff teams with the lowest Adjusted Payroll+, the payroll based on league average (league average is 100):

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