Payroll panic and an interesting arm added to the fold

Let's not sweat the budget just yet, but let's do admire a potential bullpen arm

Let’s hit a couple of recent notable news items as we wait for the offseason to begin in earnest. 

Money matters

The calculation of payroll in Major League Baseball is a complicated thing. Do you go by Opening Day or account for in-season debits and credits? Active roster or 40-man? Actual payouts or average annual value for Competitve Balance Tax purposes? Do you include the costs of benefits and player-related expenses, or is it salary only? You get the idea. 

This kind of thing is worth bearing prominently in mind when talking about a team’s future payroll. Speaking of which, the matter of the Cardinals’ future payroll indeed came up on Monday when John Mozeliak addressed reporters at the outset of the GM’s meetings in Arizona. Here’s what Mo said: 

It’s very tempting to be reactive about this. Payroll isn’t going up?! What about all the talk of adding three new starters to the rotation plus a bullpen arm or two? How is such a thing possible if payroll isn’t going up?