Moneyball: How Each MLB Team Fared With Their Payroll

Dylan Wilkerson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

The MLB playoffs are underway. This means that the 18 teams that are left out are stuck reassessing where things went wrong along the 162 game journey.

We will take a look at how much each team spent in active payroll, how many wins the team had, and how much each team paid per win. There are playoff teams that made due with a miniscule payroll, and teams with a massive payroll that missed the playoffs.

Some of these teams we discuss are in the playoffs, so be sure to check out the latest World Series odds. Maybe a team with low payroll can win it all!

THE HIGHEST SPENDERS

Major market teams have the most money to spend, so it makes sense that the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets spent the most in total payroll. Other teams that spent the most on payroll in the 2025 season include the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.

You will notice that out of the 4 teams I listed, all but one made the playoff. The New York Mets had the second-highest payroll and managed to choke away a great start to give up their playoff spot. The Cincinnati Reds ended up securing the spot that the Mets gave up.

COST-EFFECTIVE PAYROLLS

Most of the big-payroll teams had regular season success. Even the Mets were in playoff contention until the last game of the season. We can not say the same for these teams with low payrolls.

The Miami Marlins had the lowest payroll in the 2025 MLB season, with the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, and Cleveland Guardians rounding out the 5 lowest payrolls.

You will notice that these teams aren't even the bottom dwellers of the MLB. The Colorado Rockies finished the 2025 season with 43 wins, but had the 22nd highest payroll. The Washington Nationals had the 6th lowest payroll but tallied the 3rd fewest wins.

Conversely, the Guardians had the 5th lowest payroll but still managed to make the playoffs! They tallied the tenth most wins in the MLB while maintaining one of the lowest payrolls in baseball.

WHO MADE THE MOST (AND LEAST) WITH WHAT THEY HAD?

We touched on one team that made the most with what they had, and one that made the least. Outside of the Mets and Guardians, there are a few other teams that outperformed their payroll and paid the LEAST per win:

• Miami Marlins ($860,135)
• Tampa Bay Rays ($1,138,049)
• Cleveland Guardians ($1,140,511)
• Pittsburgh Pirates ($1,189,061)
• Milwaukee Brewers ($1,254,378)

You will notice that the team with the most wins in baseball has one of the lowest payrolls in the MLB. These teams above made the most with what they had. Here are the teams the did the least with massive amount of resources they have:

• New York Mets ($4,125,030) !!!
• Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,766,669)
• New York Yankees ($3,193,485)
• Philadelphia Phillies ($3,023,815)
• Colorado Rockies ($2,991,252)

As you can see, Mets fan have every reason to be irate with what occurred this season. Not only did they spend the second most in total payroll, they ended up spending the most per win all to miss the playoffs.

CONCLUSION AND STATS FOR NERDS

We took a look at the payroll numbers for each team, as well as wins and found out that there is a slight positive correlation between payroll and wins. There are a few outliers in the data (Brewers, Mets, and Guardians) but overall, the teams that pay the most for their roster found themselves participating in the postseason.

Using linear regression, the y-intercept for wins is 67.4. This TECHNICALLY means that if you spend no money, you are guaranteed 67 wins. We know this is not realistic, but this helps us calculate how many wins money can buy.

I found that using the 2025 season data, an extra $100 mil. in payroll can buy you 7.71 wins. This will vary, of course. However, it gives us a baseline for the effect payroll can have on team performance. 25% of variation in wins can be explained by payroll differential. To no surprise, there is moderate positive correlation between payroll and wins. Our Pearson correlation coefficient is .5439, and this correlation is statistically significant.

Looking to bet on the MLB playoffs? Be sure to check out our bet365 bonus code and get in on the MLB action today!

Thank you to Sporttrac for the payroll data and the r package "baseballr" for team and wins data.

Dylan Wilkerson

Dylan Wilkerson has over 2 years of experience reporting and analyzing the sports betting industry for various sites. His portfolio includes work for SportsHandle and Action Network, in addition to VegasInsider. His favorite sports are the NFL, College Football, The PGA Tour, the LIV Tour, and Cricket. Dylan has a broad and deep understanding of various sports-related topics. More from Dylan Wilkerson