MLB teams generally got what they paid for last season, with the five biggest spenders all making the playoffs and nine of the 12 playoff teams ranking in the top half of the league in payroll. So far, 2023 is shaping up to be quite different.

State of play: If the season ended today, only two of the five biggest spenders would make the playoffs (Yankees and Dodgers) — both as wild card teams. Meanwhile, three of the four smallest spenders would be in the field (Rays, Orioles, Pirates).

Snapshot:

• Beasts of the East: The Rays have the fourth-lowest payroll ($76.9M) and the best record in baseball (49-22), while the Orioles have the second-lowest payroll ($66.9M) and are tied for the second-best record (42-25).
• First place: The Pirates have the third-lowest payroll ($75.3M) and sit atop the NL Central. The NL West-leading Diamondbacks have a payroll of $114M, which is less than half what the second-place Dodgers ($228.1M) and fourth-place Padres ($246.5M) are spending.

Meanwhile, the Mets have MLB's biggest payroll by a mile ($344.9M) and currently sit in fourth in the NL East (32-36). The Phillies have the fourth-biggest payroll ($243.1M) and are barely ahead of them in third (34-34).

Wild stat: No division is currently led by the team with the biggest payroll in that division — and none of those teams are even in second place.

AL East

• Rays: 4th-biggest payroll in division (27th-biggest overall)
• O's: 5th (29th)
• Yankees: 1st (2nd)
• Blue Jays: 2nd (7th)
• Red Sox: 3rd (15th)

AL Central

• Twins: 2nd (17th)
• Guardians: 5th (26th)
• White Sox: 1st (11th)
• Tigers: 3rd (19th)
• Royals: 4th (23rd)

AL West

• Rangers: 2nd (9th)
• Astros: 3rd (10th)
• Angels: 1st (6th)
• Mariners: 4th (18th)
• Athletics: 5th (30th)

NL East

• Braves: 3rd (8th)
• Marlins: 4th (22nd)
• Phillies: 2nd (4th)
• Mets: 1st (1st)
• Nationals: 5th (24th)

NL Central

• Pirates: 5th (28th)
• Brewers: 3rd (20th)
• Reds: 4th (25th)
• Cubs: 1st (13th)
• Cardinals: 2nd (16th)

NL West

• Diamondbacks: 5th (21st)
• Dodgers: 2nd (5th)
• Giants: 3rd (11th)
• Padres: 1st (3rd)
• Rockies: 4th (14th)

Payrolls via Spotrac

The typical U.S. Open course has four par-3 holes. Los Angeles Country Club, site of this week's tournament, has five, ranging from roughly 100 yards to nearly 300.

• Hole 4 (228 yards): The first par 3 might be the toughest due to the "barranca" at the front of the green. The barranca (picture a rugged gully or steep ravine) is one of LACC's defining characteristics and winds through most of the first nine holes. You don't want to be short.
• Hole 7 (284 yards): Most will use at least a 3-wood to try to reach the green here, but players can also land their tee shots short and run them onto the putting surface.
• Hole 9 (171 yards): "It feels like it's a level hole, but it's really uphill and deceptive," says architect Gil Hanse, who restored the course in 2010. "There are four distinct quadrants in the green to move the pin around."
• Hole 11 (290 yards): This is the second-longest par-3 in U.S. Open history, trailing only the eighth hole at Oakmont. "If there were ever a postcard of the Los Angeles Country Club, it would show the breathtaking view" from this tee box, NYT notes (see above).
• Hole 15 (124 yards): The shortest hole on the course could play as short as 78 yards if the USGA elects to put the pin way up. Three massive bunkers protect the green.

What to watch: World No. 2 Jon Rahm is the best par-3 player on the PGA Tour, averaging 2.92 strokes. Second is Max Homa (2.94), who grew up playing LACC and broke the course record with a 61 when he was a senior at Cal in 2013.

Hole-by-hole breakdown:

• Watch (YouTube)
• Read (Golf Channel)

Canadiens Hall of Famer Henri Richard had stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy at the time of his death in 2020, according to a posthumous brain study.

What they're saying: "I want people to understand this is a disease that impacts athletes far beyond football," said Richard's son, Denis.

• Richard was known for his physical style of play, and the NHL didn't mandate the use of helmets until 1979 — four years after his retirement.
• "He had a playmaker's mind, and played that way," said his former teammate, Ken Dryden. "But all those hits to the head … We have to understand, whatever the sport, a hit to the head is not a good thing."

The big picture: 16 of the 17 NHL players involved in the study were diagnosed with CTE, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation. That includes Stan Mikita, another member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Go deeper … Study: Hockey's enforcers die younger (Axios)

🏀 Beal buzz: The Wizards have been in contact with Bradley Beal's agent as teams begin exploring a possible trade for the three-time All-Star, ESPN reports. Beal is entering Year 2 of a five-year, $251 million deal that has a no-trade clause, giving him control over where he lands.

⚽️ Coombe fired: Angel City FC fired coach Freya Coombe on Wednesday, per The Athletic ($). The decision comes halfway through the season with Angel City sitting in 11th place (out of 12 teams).

🏈 New Netflix doc: "Quarterback," a new documentary series that follows Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota, debuts on Netflix on July 12. Here's the trailer.

⚽️ Bellingham signs: Jude Bellingham has officially signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid. The 19-year-old former Dortmund star is the third player signed by Madrid for a €100+ million fee, joining Gareth Bale (2013) and Eden Hazard (2019).

The Golden Knights are just the sixth expansion team in the history of North America's big four leagues to win a title within their first six seasons, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

• 🏀 Milwaukee Bucks (3 years, 1968 → 1971): After a terrible debut season, the Bucks drafted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar first overall and made the playoffs. Then they traded for Oscar Robertson, and the Hall of Fame duo won it all in their first year together.
• ⚾️ Arizona Diamondbacks (4 years, 1998 → 2001): Randy Johnson (signed in 1999) and Curt Schilling (acquired in 2000) finished 1-2 for the Cy Young in 2001 and started all four wins in their seven-game victory over the Yankees. Luis Gonzalez played the hero in Game 7
• 🏈 Baltimore Ravens (5 years, 1996 → 2001): First, they crushed the 1996 expansion draft, grabbing future Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the first round. Then they built an all-world defense around Lewis, who was named Super Bowl MVP in their 34-7 rout of the Giants.
• ⚾️ Florida Marlins (5 years, 1993 → 1997): Their first winning season saw them earn a wild card berth and ultimately beat the Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on Édgar Rentería’s walk-off.
• 🏒 Edmonton Oilers (5 years, 1979 → 1984): They joined the NHL via merger after seven years in the WHA. Though most players were lost to the expansion draft, Edmonton held onto its 18-year-old star, Wayne Gretzky, who helped birth a dynasty.
• 🏒 Golden Knights (6 years, 2017 → 2023): They've been one of the league's best teams since day one (by design), reaching the Cup Final in their inaugural season. Six players from the original roster are still on the team.

Go deeper: How Vegas disrupted the NHL (ESPN)

Two Florida franchises just saw their seasons end on back-to-back days this week, but that doesn't take away from the state's outsize run of success this decade, Jeff writes.

The big picture: Florida-based teams have reached their respective Final Fours 13 times since 2020 across the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, NCAA basketball and NCAA softball.

• 🏀 2023 Heat: Reached NBA Finals
• 🏒 2023 Panthers: Reached Stanley Cup Final
• 🥎 2023 Florida State: Reached Women's College World Series Final
• 🏀 2023 Miami and FAU: Reached men's Final Four
• 🏀 2022 Heat: Reached conference finals
• 🏒 2022 Lightning: Reached conference finals
• 🏒 2021 Lightning: Won Stanley Cup
• 🥎 2021 Florida State: Reached WCWS Final
• 🏈 2020 Buccaneers: Won Super Bowl
• ⚾️ 2020 Rays: Reached World Series
• 🏒 2020 Lightning: Won Stanley Cup
• 🏀 2020 Heat: Reached NBA Finals

Plus: Florida is currently in the College World Series (begins Friday) the year after their women's team reached the WCWS, the Rays have MLB's best record, and Messi is coming to Miami.

Go deeper: South Florida is the idyllic, unhinged center of the sports universe (WashPost)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Republicans beat the Democrats, 16-6, on Wednesday night in the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at Nationals Park — their third win in a row. Full broadcast on C-SPAN.

The 123rd U.S. Open tees off today at the Los Angeles Country Club in Beverly Hills — the tournament's first time at the ultra-exclusive club, and its first time in L.A. since 1948.

• State of play: If a foreign golfer wins this weekend, it will be just the second time since 1910 that an American failed to win the U.S. Open in three straight years.
• How to watch: 9:40am-1pm ET (Peacock); 1-8pm (USA); 8-11pm (NBC). See pairings.

More to watch:

• ⚽️ CONCACAF Nations League: Panama vs. Canada (7pm, CBSSN); USA vs. Mexico (10pm, Paramount+) … Semifinals in Las Vegas.
• ⚾️ MLB: Angels at Rangers (8:05pm, FS1) … Shohei Ohtani (5-2, 3.32 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (9-2, 2.49)
• ⚽️ UEFA Nations League: Spain vs. Italy (2:45pm, FS1) … Semifinal.
• 🏀 WNBA: Dream at Sun (7pm, Prime); Fever at Sky (8pm, NBA); Storm at Aces (10pm, Prime)
• ⛳️ LPGA: Meijer Classic (3pm, Golf/Peacock) … Five of the world's top 10 tee it up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Phil Mickelson has a chance to complete the career Grand Slam at this week’s U.S. Open, which would make him just the sixth golfer to win each major at least once.

• Question: Who are the other five?
• Hint: Three are still alive.

Answer at the bottom.

Rafael Devers hit the shortest MLB home run in four years on Tuesday at Fenway Park, hitting Pesky's Pole with a shot that would have traveled just 311 feet.

For reference: The longest homer of the season was Giancarlo Stanton's 485-foot blast at Yankee Stadium in early April.