"Perth. Cotton was on over $1M on his lonesome this season, and they were paying tax on every other contract they had."
What's your source for Cotton being on $1m? The West Australian said it was $2m over 3 years when the signing was announced, which is around $0.67m per year if we assume it was spread evenly.
Even if you did assign $1m to Cotton, not sure where the other $2m is being paid to.
The cats roster hardly screamed out of in-demand players they would've had to pay up for, with the exception of Magnay and he only played a small component of the season.
Jervis, White, Bairstow: not sure they would've had offers from any other team, so assume they're on the minimum or thereabouts
Wani: was on a deal from a couple of seasons ago as a teenager, doubt it would be a big money deal?
Norton: was in the last year of a deal signed 3 years ago as a backup
Steindl: possibly on decent money as it was reported his services were hotly in demand when he was last a free agent
Blanchfield: might be on a solid pay check but don't think he was particularly in demand this past off season
Mooney: was a highly rated college player but generally first year pros out of college don't break the bank. I remember Nick Marvin saying it was often cheaper to get rookie imports than signing locals.
Magnay: would've been in demand and with a high price tag, but only played a small part of the season
To be honest it felt like a bit of a budget roster coming into the season, hence the predictions many were making about missing the playoffs