Second in a two-part series
Yokohama BayStars president Jun Ikeda won't claim that money can buy a championship. He does, however, believe there is a "borderline" in terms of payroll that gives teams a better chance to post good results and win titles.
The BayStars' payroll is estimated to rank last among the 12 clubs with around ¥2 billion (teams don't release exact figures), easily less than half of that of the two-time reigning NPB champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.