Competitive Payroll Tax Balance: $207.2MAInflation Adjusted: $358.4MRecord: 95-67 Once upon a time, the Angels were a regular in the postseason. And in the 2005 ALDS, Bengie Molina brought the home run stuff in Games 1, 2 and 3. In the do-or-die Game 5, however, it was Adam Kennedy playing hero with a two-run triple off Mike Mussina before Francisco ‘K-Rod’ Rodríguez closed out the series. Biggest Earner: Alex Rodriguez ($25.2 million) As was the case with the 2007 version we just found, giving A-Rod a ton of money in 2005 was a pretty good idea for the Yankees, at least during the regular season. This was also one of his MVP campaigns, hitting .321/.421/.610 with 48 home runs, 130 RBI and 21 stolen bases. (He was a ghost in the ALDS, though, going 2-for-15 with no RBIs.) Biggest waste of funds: Kevin Brown ($15.7 million) At age 40, Brown was in the final season of a seven-year, $105 million contract, as well as the final season of his career. And in 13 appearances, he gave the Yankees a 6.50 ERA, last appearing in a game in July.
