There's one big advantage to stripping down your roster and embarking on a massive rebuilding program: You save a lot of money in salaries.
That's certainly the case for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016 after a slew of veterans were traded for prospects, beginning last July and continuing throughout the winter. The result was an approximate 45% decrease from the season-opening $102.3 million payroll in 2015, which represented a franchise record.
The Brewers have an actual scheduled payout of $56.5 million to 31 players, which includes six on the disabled list to open the season. With a total of $6 million in deferred payments to Ryan Braun and Matt Garza and other money allocated for call-ups and bonuses, the Brewers' payroll will be about $63 million for MLB accounting purposes.