MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn’t everything in 2026

MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Funds isn't everything in 2026.

Key points

• The team with baseball's highest final payroll, the New York Mets at $345.8 million, will be sitting home in October.
• Bob Nightengale examines where the Yankees stand in the AL pecking order after the Rays claim the East and Aaron Judge is sidelined.
• Three of the six-lowest team payrolls will be in the playoffs this season with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox.
• Here are the final team payrolls heading into the postseason, calculated by Major League Baseball's labor relations department, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
• The team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers, has the 19th-highest.

MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Funds isn't everything in 2026. Bob Nightengale USA TODAY. Rays win AL East, but are Yankees still favorites without Judge?

It remains to be seen if MLB will continue to scream regarding competitive balance once the postseason is complete, but certainly, there's a robust correlation between reaching the playoffs and staying home if you spend the funds.

In practice, the team with baseball's highest final payroll, the New York Mets at $345.8 million, will be sitting home in October. Meanwhile with baseball's lowest payroll, the Cleveland Guardians at $74.2 million, are in the postseason for the third consecutive season.

Meanwhile, the team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers, has the 19th-highest. The team with the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, has the sixth-lowest payroll.

Three of the six-lowest team payrolls will be in the playoffs this season with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox. More: Why 60 games is magic number in MLB lockout.

Two of the top five-highest payrolls will miss the playoffs with the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. While three of the bottom-10 teams missed the postseason, eight of the top-10 teams in payroll created the postseason.

Interestingly, the middle-class was all but eliminated from the postseason this season. The Brewers are the only team with a payroll ranked between 11th and 24th – from $98 million to $202 million – earning a postseason bid.

Previously 10 years, eight teams have ranked in the top 10 in MLB in payroll, five have ranked in the top five, and three have ranked first. We'll see if the Brewers or Rays become the first small-market team to win the World Series since the Kansas City Royals in 2015. It will surely be a vital talking point in the CBA negotiations.

In practice, the figured obtained by USA TODAY Sports are the MLB Labor Relations Department's present-day salary calculation. The LRD numbers include the player's actual salary plus his pro-rated signing bonus before any player or club options.

Here are the payrolls for each team and whether they are in or out of the postseason. New York Mets: $346.8 million (out of the playoffs). Los Angeles Dodgers: $338.0 million (In the playoffs). New York Yankees: $304.6 million: In. Philadelphia Phillies: $291.7 million: (TBD). Toronto Blue Jays: $275.4 million: Out. Atlanta: $263.9 million: In. Houston Astros: $249.5 million: In. Chicago Cubs: $248.8 million: In. San Diego Padres: $223.9 million: In. Boston Red Sox: $210.2 million: In. Detroit Tigers: $202.1 million: Out.

San Francisco Giants: $197.6 million: Out. Arizona Diamondbacks: $192.8 million: Out (TBD). Texas Rangers: $192.5 million: Out. Los Angeles Angels: $179.8 million: Out. Seattle Mariners: $170.5 million: Out. Baltimore Orioles: $169.2 million: Out. Kansas City Royals: $149.8 million: Out. Milwaukee Brewers: $143.5 million: In. Cincinnati Reds: $128.3 million: Out. Colorado Rockies: $117.0 million: Out. Minnesota Twins: $109.5 million: Out. Pittsburgh Pirates: $107.6 million: Out. Athletics: $98.7 million: Out. Tampa Bay Rays: $98.3 million. In. Chicago White Sox: $98.0 million: In.

St. Louis Cardinals: $94.7 million: Out. Washington Nationals: $90.3 million: Out. Miami Marlins: $83.0 million: Out. Cleveland Guardians: $74.2 million: In. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isnt everything in 2026 is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.