The Mets have the lowest payroll of any remaining playoff team

This postseason began with a wide mix of high-payroll teams and low-payroll teams, with the Dodgers and Yankees representing one side of the spectrum and the Astros and Pirates representing the other side. The Mets ranked eighth. With Houston and Pittsburgh eliminated, the Mets now possess the smallest payroll of any team still still playing.

A brief disclaimer: payroll numbers are hard to pin down because teams don't always disclose contract details. The numbers in this article come from Spotrac and the Associated Press by way of Deadspin.

The Mets currently rank 15th in payroll among all teams, up from 21st, where they started the year. This jump is unsurprising given their activity at the trade deadline. Still, it puts them one spot below the 14th-ranked Royals, four below the 11th-ranked Cubs, and five below the 10th-ranked Blue Jays.

The field as it stands is fairly close in terms of salary. The Blue Jays' payroll is only about $18 million higher than that of the Mets. All of the teams remaining added significant salary at the trade deadline, with the Mets bringing aboard Yoenis Cespedes, Tyler Clippard, Juan Uribe, and Kelly Johnson; the Cubs adding Dan Haren and Tommy Hunter; the Royals adding Ben Zobrist and Johnny Cueto; and the Blue Jays adding Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, and Ben Revere. Most of those additions are rentals who will be free agents at the end of the season.