Payrolls for MLB playoff teams show the revenue gap is bigger than ever

This year's playoff field shows once again that a team like the Houston Astros can still make the playoffs despite having one of the smallest payrolls in Major League Baseball. At the same time we see that big payrolls help, but they don't guarantee success.

Of the nine largest payrolls in baseball this season, according to Spotrac, only two are among the final eight playoff teams, led by the Los Angeles Dodgers ($314.2 million). However, after the top nine, five of the next six are still alive, and the Astros are the only team outside the top 15 payrolls with a shot at winning it all.