MLB

Ranking MLB teams by their total payrolls in 2024 season

Are the Dodgers the highest after signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto?

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Major League Baseball is back with teams who splashed big in the offseason looking for a return on their investments.

The Los Angeles Dodgers made waves throughout the offseason months after landing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And that's before mentioning other expensive additions like pitcher Tyler Glasnow.

But the Dodgers managed such lucrative signings in large part due to contract deferrals, such as Ohtani deferring $680 million of his $700 million until after his deal runs out.

Other big-market teams spent considerable sums, too, like the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, who recently bolstered their pitching depth by adding recent Cy Young winner Blake Snell.

So, which MLB teams have the highest payroll and which ones have the lowest? Let's take a look, ranking style:

Who has the highest payroll in MLB for 2024?

Because of the aforementioned deferrals, the Dodgers are not among the top-five teams with the highest payroll. Here's a ranking of all 30 teams, via Spotrac, which factors in a combination of base salary, incentives and signing bonus prorations.

  1. New York Yankees: $290,541,666
  2. New York Mets: $283,801,859
  3. Houston Astros: $237,303,141
  4. Philadelphia Phillies: $237,182,617
  5. Atlanta Braves: $224,315,000
  6. Toronto Blue Jays: $222,601,784
  7. Texas Rangers: $215,710,000
  8. Chicago Cubs: $215,480,000
  9. Los Angeles Dodgers: $214,721,666
  10. San Francisco Giants: $187,917,909
  11. St. Louis Cardinals: $164,301,667
  12. Boston Red Sox: $161,224,847
  13. Los Angeles Angels: $155,918,094
  14. San Diego Padres: $152,995,453
  15. Colorado Rockies: $132,185,000
  16. Arizona Diamondbacks: $130,771,716
  17. Seattle Mariners: $128,158,333
  18. Chicago White Sox: $116,673,333
  19. Minnesota Twins: $116,353,690
  20. Kansas City Royals: $106,094,570
  21. Milwaukee Brewers: $94,484,960
  22. Detroit Tigers: $94,313,333
  23. Baltimore Orioles: $91,978,668
  24. Washington Nationals: $90,171,429
  25. Tampa Bay Rays: $88,458,712
  26. Miami Marlins: $86,535,000
  27. Cincinnati Reds: $86,148,333
  28. Cleveland Guardians: $84,433,928
  29. Pittsburgh Pirates: $72,014,000
  30. Oakland Athletics: $47,275,000

What is the average MLB payroll in 2024?

The league average MLB payroll in 2024 is $151,002,190, via Spotrac.

Who has the lowest MLB payroll in 2024?

The Oakland Athletics currently have the lowest payroll in MLB at $47,275,000. It's nearly $30 million less than the next lowest team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Contact Us