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Dodgers Set MLB Spending Record at $515 Million for 2025

Official tallies show a widening payroll gap that is reshaping MLB’s competitive balance debate.

Overview

  • Major League Baseball’s final 2025 figures put Los Angeles at $345.3 million in payroll and $169.4 million in luxury tax for a $514.6 million total.
  • The Dodgers’ total was seven times the Miami Marlins’ $68.7 million payroll and larger than the combined payrolls of the bottom six clubs.
  • MLB’s payroll math discounts deferred salaries, which cut about $71 million from Los Angeles’ 2025 calculation as Shohei Ohtani counted only $28.2 million.
  • The Dodgers and Mets together spent $948.3 million in 2025 in a year when the ratio of the five highest to the five lowest spenders reached a record 4.7.
  • Opening-day projections for 2026 have Los Angeles leading again with a $323.3 million payroll and a $163.7 million tax for a $487.1 million total.