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.