The Los Angeles Dodgers, reigning World Series champions, have gained a reputation as the dominant force on the West Coast. Despite concerns about their high-profile signings in recent years, the Dodgers do not hold the top spot for team payroll in the upcoming 2025 major league season. That honor goes to the New York Mets, as per MLB’s latest calculations shared with USA TODAY Sports.
The Dodgers, leveraging heavily deferred contracts for players like Shohei Ohtani and their key stars, boast an opening-day payroll of $321.3 million, placing them second behind the Mets’ payroll of $323.1 million. The strategy of deferred payments significantly reduces the present-day value of contracts, notably Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal, which also minimizes their luxury-tax obligations and penalties. Ohtani is deferring a substantial portion of his $70 million annual salary, which lowers the present-day value of his contract.
Across baseball, a trend of deferred contracts has paved the way for Juan Soto of the New York Mets to emerge as the highest-paid player in the league. In a groundbreaking move, Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million deal in December without any deferrals. MLB calculates his salary at $61.875 million this year, setting a new record in baseball history.
Here are the team-by-team payrolls based on opening day rosters, injured list, and restricted list. The figures, compiled by USA TODAY, reflect the present-day value of contracts, including deferrals and signing bonuses, as calculated by the MLB Labor Relations Department. These MLB figures, distributed to all teams, aim to capture the cash obligations within a given year.
2025 MLB Team Payrolls
(In present-day value calculated by MLB)
1. New York Mets – $323,099,999
2. Los Angeles Dodgers – $321,287,291
3. New York Yankees – $293,488,972
4. Philadelphia Phillies – $284,210,820
5. Toronto Blue Jays – $239,642,532
6. Texas Rangers – $220,541,332
7. Houston Astros – $220,217,813
8. Atlanta Braves – $214,836,398
9. San Diego Padres – $208,909,333
10. Chicago Cubs – $196,288,250
11. Arizona Diamondbacks – $195,294,235
12. Boston Red Sox – $193,629,093
13. Los Angeles Angels – $190,508,096
14. San Francisco Giants – $173,019,524
15. Baltimore Orioles – $162,314,278
16. Seattle Mariners – $146,793,414
17. Detroit Tigers – $143,193,033
18. Minnesota Twins – $142,762,022
19. St. Louis Cardinals
