it's not the # but the % of payroll that matters. otherwise you have to consider inflation and such over time... 500m seems like a lot, and it is, but it's not that huge of a step forward when speaking of 10 years of contracts.
e.g. since a-rod's deal, which was probably too much for texas to afford, has average payroll gone up 15-25%? probably. (less than the actual leap, because it's an average and the richer teams always get a larger portion of the increases).
it's probably not far off from historical increases in league payrolls over time.
ugh war... what is it good for... nothin.. absolutely nothing
might as well use the overall rating for something serious too. same drawbacks, but fewer, lol. a better correlation i guarnatee than war.