The Rangers' 2006 payroll situation

Trying to figure out where we are right now in terms of payroll...

Guys under contract for 2006:

Phil Nevin -- $10 million
Francisco Cordero -- $4 million
Hank Blalock -- $3 million
Michael Young -- $3 million
Akinori Otsuka -- $1.75 million
Ron Mahay -- $1.18 million
David Dellucci -- $950,000
Brian Shouse -- $700,000
Mark DeRosa -- $685,000
John Wasdin -- $600,000

That puts the team at about $25.8 million for guys currently under contract.  

Then we have the arbitration-eligible players, whose 2006 salaries I'm estimating below:

Mark Teixeira -- $6 million
Adam Eaton -- $5 million
Vicente Padilla -- $4.5 million
Brad Wilkerson -- $4.5 million
Rod Barajas -- $3 million
Kevin Mench -- $1.75 million
Gary Matthews, Jr. -- $1.75 million
Joaquin Benoit -- $900,000

That totals $27.4 million for 2006 for the eight arbitration-eligible players.

If you figure another $4-5 million or so for the remaining, non-arbitration-eligible players on the 25 man roster, that puts payroll at about $58 million, before factoring in the Ho and ARod money.  With the Ho and ARod money coming in at about $10 million, that puts payroll at $68 million.

Let's say Kevin Millwood signs and gets $10 million for 2006...that puts payroll at about $78 million for the 2006 season.

Now, some of that is subsidizing the Ho and Alex Rodriguez (who, of course, never should have been traded in the first place)...but really, $78 million gets payroll about where a team like the Rangers should have it.