"The Baltimore Orioles would be in 1st place in the AL Central" "Keep doubting that Orioles Magic!" - MLB fans stunned as league's lowest payroll team Baltimore Orioles tied for playoff spot

If the season were to stop today, the Baltimore Orioles would be tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for a Wild Card spot. Yes, you did read that correctly. The team with the lowest payroll, that just traded two star players and competes in one of the hardest divisions, is in playoff contention.

This has been a great underdog story in MLB. Baseball fans around the league are jumping on the Orioles bandwagon.

The team has an impressive 23-10 record since July 1. According to "Statmuse," the team is tied for the second-best record in the majors over the last 30 games at 22-8. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers are better off with a 26-4 record.

The Baltimore Orioles have surprised all of us this season and continue to overperform. There is no one department we can credit for their success. Manager Brandon Hyde was asked about the situation by reporters after a recent victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

“For me, the reason why our record is what it is … it's not because we're outscoring people. It's because of what we've done as a team defense situation," said Hyde.

Many analysts thought the Orioles had given up on the season when they traded two of their best performers during the deadline. Fan favorite Trey Mancini was shipped off to the Houston Astros and All-Star closer Jorge Lopez to the Minnesota Twins.

Another interesting point to note is that the team is competing in arguably the toughest division in the majors. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays were all expected to make playoff runs this season.

The Orioles, currently with a 58-52 record, would be in first place in the American League Central.

With a 22-8 record, the Baltimore Orioles have the second-best record in the majors in the last 30 games

The Baltimore Orioles fans do the wave in the seventh inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Money isn't everything in baseball, but it is important to note that the Orioles are doing all this with the lowest payroll in the majors. According to Spotrac, they have a 2022 payroll for just over $43 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets currently have $265 million and $261 million payrolls, respectively.

Based on these numbers, the team is currrenly paying just $748k per win. Below is a list of what some of the AL competitors are paying per win this season:

Boston Red Sox, 54 wins - $3.85 million per win

Los Angeles Angels, 49 wins - $3.67 million per win

New York Yankees, 71 wins - $3.54 million per win

Toronto Blue Jays 60 wins - $2.90 million per win

It's important to note that the league has removed the sudden death series — or Game 163 — tiebreaking format. If both teams are tied at the end of the season, the tiebreaker will be determined by head-to-head record. After that, the best record versus division opponents determines who will advance. The Rays and Orioles are 8-8 on the season, but the Rays have a better overall record versus the division.

General managers around the league could learn from the Baltimore Orioles' approach to building a team. The Orioles have the best-ranked farm system in the league. They added top prospects over the dealine and drafted Jackson Holliday with the number one pick in the draft.

Fans are coming out in large numbers to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. There is a real buzz around this team. We expected the Baltimore Orioles to crash at some point in the season, but it has not happened. This magical and highly unexpected playoff run has been a joy to watch for baseball fans around the world.