With the New York Yankees down three games to none against the Detroit Tigers, we take a look at the 2012 payrolls of teams (at the start of the season) and how it relates to on field success.

We have seen several story lines in this post season including Alex Rodriguez sitting on the bench despite being one of the top paid players in all of baseball.

Here’s a list of the Teams payrolls at the start of the season and their rankings in the standings at the end of the regular season.

Worst Performing Clubs based on Payroll to Record:

#5 Chicago Cubs – 15th Highest Payroll – 29th Place (61-101)

Chicago Cubs fans are used to losing… but when you payout $88 Million in payroll, you need to try and not lose 100+ games in a season. It’s a bad way to keep fans interested in your team.

#4 Minnesota Twins – 13th Highest Payroll – 27th Place (66-96)

Minnesota is a team that has struggled to find their groove the past few seasons and injuries to their star players haven’t been much help.

#3 Miami Marlins – 7th Highest Payroll – 25th Place (69-93)

A nice way to start off your first season in a brand new multimillion dollar stadium in Miami. Finishing a miserable 69-93, the Miami Marlins are rumoured to be one of the teams who should target the Over Paid Alex Rodriguez. It would make sense if they want to continue to pay a lot of money with little return.

#2 Philadelphia Phillies – 2nd Highest Payroll – 16th Place (81-81)

Injuries plagued the Phillies, but at the end of the day this is a team with a ton of star power that never got it together this season. I expect the team to rebound next season and continue to be a competitive team.

#1 Boston Red Sox – 3rd Highest Payroll – 24th Place (69-93)

173 Million, a fired coach, complete roster over haul and the 24th worst record in baseball. That pretty much sums up the Boston Red Sox’s season

Best Performing Clubs based on Payroll to Record:

#5 Atlanta Braves – 16th ranked payroll – 4th best record (94-68)

The Braves had a respectable season and had a chance at the post season but failed to win when it mattered most.

#4 Tampa Bay Rays – 25th ranked Payroll – 8th best record (90-72)

A year where the Baltimore Orioles had a slightly better year then Tampa Bay, left the Rays on the outside of the playoff picture. In what is arguably the TOUGHEST division in baseball the Tampa Bay Rays always seem to have a “fair payroll” and produce a winning team. They have consistently done this year in and year out… despite the lack of support from the fans.

#3 Cincinnati Reds – 17th ranked Payroll – 2nd Place (97-65)

The Cincinnati Reds had a fantastic season and went out and locked up their star, Canadian Joey Votto to a long term deal which will change their payroll in the coming seasons. But taking a look back at this season the Red’s just needed one win against the Giants and they would still be playing baseball.

#2 Washington Nationals – 20th ranked Payroll – 1st Place (98-64)

What was a spectacular season from the Washington Nationals fell short. A lot of people believe that if the Washington Nationals had Stephen Strasburgh on the team for the playoffs they would be the favourites to win. However the long term health of Strasburgh is more important to the team who is looking for years of winning… not just one season. Either way they had one of the best value seasons being only ranked 20th in payroll and making the playoffs in dominate fashion.

#1 Oakland Athletics – 29th ranked Payroll – 4th best record (94-68)

It was ‘Money Ball’ all over again. The Oakland Athletics had one of the most Cinderella seasons in a long time. They showed that it’s not always the highest paid players who win the game… it’s the best TEAM. The Oakland Athletics had an amazing season and hopefully their young pitching staff will only continue to develop and become a dominate force in the league.

Related:He Get’s Paid How Much? Worst MLB Contracts