Steve Cohen’s Mets Flop While Orioles Win With New Breed of Moneyball
Some teams spent freely to build a winner. But in 2023, the link between big contracts and on-the-field success was the weakest in decades.
With an all-time high Opening Day payroll of more than $330 million (not including about $100 million in luxury-tax penalties), owner Steve Cohen’s team finished 74-87.
Photographer: Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday/Getty Images
The 2023 Major League Baseball regular season marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of Moneyball, Michael Lewis’ landmark book on how the Oakland Athletics used statistical analysis to build a winning team on the cheap.
The milestone comes at a bitter moment for fans in Oakland, as owner John Fisher appears intent on moving the team to Las Vegas. The A’s still spend less than their rivals, with the lowest Opening Day payroll in the league this season at just below $57 million, but the results are no longer surprising: Oakland finished the season this weekend with baseball’s worst record, with 50 wins and 112 losses. The Hollywood underdogs have become cellar dwellers.