Jessica Fletcher - contributing reporter
We've hit the last day of Arbitration and moving towards Free Agency. Our top 5 big spenders are:
- Philadelphia Harpers - $111.0M
- Chicago Gunslingers - $110.2M
- Oklahoma City Barons - $106.3M
- Pittsburgh Yinzers - $101.6M
- Sante Fe Surf Riders VIII - $101.2M
Our bottom 5 spenders include:
- Augusta Alcoholics - $17.7M (will they go for 4 straight years of $40+ prospect spending?)
- Tacoma Aroma - $22.6M (outside of first season, has yet to be above $55M)
- Mexico City Staring Frogs - $25.3M (Mas Tequila!)
- New York - $27.4M (a long way from S55's $134M)
- Montreal - $37.7M (the exchange rate must be worse for French Canadians)
Here's a look at the payrolls post-arbitration, listed by how much budget they have remaining. Could be spent on free agents / IFAs / buying division titles / ponzi schemes / Tim Horton's donuts / their favorite twitch streamer.
Take out the rebuilding teams who will be looking to transfer money for IFA spending, the FA market is looking like this:
- Dover - 65.3M (this is the team to watch)
- Tokyo - 41.1M (Proven to be a big spender)
- Boston - 40.1M (has to deal with Atlanta more than any other team on this list)
- New Orleans - 37.1M (Get ready for SP spending!)
- Milwaukee - 33.0M (jbb in his 29th season, will look to get back on top of the division)
- Anaheim - 26.2M (looking for owner's first second or above finish in the division)
- Columbus - 20.6M (doesn't have much competition within the division this year)
- Hartford - 18.9M (will they get Bonk to resign with them? Will Bonk get a max deal?)
- Vancouver - 17.3M (boo canada!)
- Pittsburgh - 16.4M (not likely to spend much, but are they rebuilding?)
- Chicago - 15.8M (tight division race, he knows where to find talent)
- Santa Fe - 15.8M (will spend every bit on these millions remaining)
- Minnesota - 15.8M
- Jacksonville - 15.5M
- Salem - 15.5M
- Salt Lake City - 15.2M
- Philadelphia - 14.0M
- Houston - 13.8M
- Oklahoma City - 6.7M