“Spending a lot, rather than spending smart, seemed to be the way to baseball’s post-season this year. And 2006 may belong to the big spenders too,” writes CNN/Money.

“Four of the six first-place teams this year were the top spenders on player salaries within their divisions. One of the big-spending teams not to finish first, the defending champ Boston Red Sox, are in the playoffs as a wild card team.”