Interesting stats, Scott...thanks for posting. Love the -10 for the Dodgers
We know it's impossible to determine what a team's record should be based on their payroll, but the two big factors IMO that will always make it for sure impossible to predict are injuries and bad signings. Some signings you really can't predict going south, but Prince Fielder and Justin Verlander are prime examples of players that aren't worth half of what they are being paid. I don't think many people saw Verlander falling off so quickly, but Fielder was somewhat evident with his decline over the past few years. Pujols, although he has had a nice year, is being paid mostly due to his past and not what he will do in the coming years. I think we all can agree his best years are behind him.
I really believe that some of these teams pay some of these overrated players the amount of money they do because they will undoubtedly bring in revenue from avenues other than their on-field performance...or maybe it is just plain fan reputation. I believe winning is a top priority, but let's be real here...money has to be a priority for every team, but some teams might even prefer money to winning.