First, let’s state the obvious: The luxury tax in baseball — $206 million in 2019 — is essentially serving as a soft salary cap to drive, or keep, player salaries down. Teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs, and Red Sox, who usually have the most money to spend, are suddenly operating a lot like the A’s and Marlins in free agency. Well, almost all teams are acting this way nowadays. For as much praise the Astros deserve for their approach to analytics, they are also part of the crowd that doesn’t spend a lot in free agency.
Breaking down Astros’ current 2019 payroll
