The huge payrolls for the Yankees and Dodgers: Which team spends more on its roster?

In Major League Baseball, teams that pay the highest salaries to their players don’t always have a better chance of winning the World Series. Looking at data from the seasons after the covid-19-shortened year, the Atlanta Braves had the 13th highest payroll in 2021 when they won it all; in 2022, the Houston Astros took the title with the ninth highest payroll; and in 2023, the Texas Rangers claimed victory with the eighth highest payroll. However, this trend has shifted in the 2024 MLB final between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Both the Yankees and Dodgers are among the top three highest payrolls in the current MLB season. The New York Mets, who were eliminated in the NLCS by the Dodgers, paid $350.2 million in salaries, the highest in the league. The Dodgers followed with $339.8 million, the second-largest payroll. Finally, the New Yorkers had a payroll of $314.6 million in 2024, ranking third.

The highest-paid players who will participate in the 2024 World Series

The Dodgers have Mookie Betts as their highest-paid active player, earning $30 million. Following Betts, the next four highest-paid Dodgers players are first baseman Freddie Freeman ($27 million), outfielder Teoscar Hernández ($15 million), infielder Chris Taylor ($13 million), and catcher Will Smith ($11.55 million).

Shohei Ohtani’s case is particularly surprising. Despite signing a 10-year, $700 million contract, the Japanese star designated hitter only received $2 million in 2024, as he opted to defer $68 million annually until the end of his contract.

Few players in the MLB earn over $30 million annually, but the Yankees have four: outfielder Aaron Judge ($40 million), pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million), designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton ($32 million), and outfielder Juan Soto ($31 million).