how do you think they got the young talent on the roster they currently have in place to be capable of winning 101 games in the AL East two seasons ago? Their market size is much more comparable to Milwaukee than New York, so they're better off trying to extend homegrown talent rather than spending in free agency.
It's not always about overspending on guys headed past their prime to fill out a competitive MLB roster. When it comes to free agency, sometimes it's best to not spend much at all if you're taking care of your own players internally with extensions and maximizing the talent return you get using other options (i.e. trades, international minor league signings, draft, veteran minor league non-roster invitees to spring training, etc. If you're a small fish trying to spend with the big boys in your division, you're going to always lose out on the players you truly want, and end up with less resources to pay your own talent.
If anything, that chart shows there are multiple ways to make the postseason, and it isn't all about spending the most money in free agency.
Of course, it also shows just how disgusting the Dodgers have made things for the rest of MLB from a financial standpoint...spending $500M MORE than the Yankees just in free agency over this period is insane.