Five Highest Payrolls in Major League Baseball for 2012: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

Does money buy championships in baseball? Well, last season, the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series with the 11th-highest payroll in the Major Leagues. The year before, the San Francisco Giants won it all with MLB's ninth-highest payroll. Teams with deep pockets may have an advantage over smaller-market teams, but they're not guaranteed anything.