Apr 02, 2023

Question of the Day: Which 5 MLB baseball teams have the highest team payroll?

It is the first full week of MLB baseball! How do you think spending will affect team success this season?

Answer:

  1. New York Mets: $334 million
  2. New York Yankees: $268 million
  3. San Diego Padres: $237 million
  4. Philadelphia Phillies: $232 million
  5. Los Angeles Dodgers: $218 million

Questions:

  1. What factors do you think affect the amount of money a team can spend on its players?
  2. How might the payroll of a team affect its success in Major League Baseball? Look up past World Series winners to see if there is any correlation.
  3. What positions/types of players do you think deserve to take home the largest salaries from the payroll? Why?
  4. Think about how might you impact the payroll of MLB teams:
    • Do you or your friends spend money to support your favorite team?
    • What types of things can you/do you purchase?
    • Do you/your family pay to watch your favorite team on TV or at the ballpark?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

 

Behind the numbers (BetMGM):

"Baseball’s an expensive business, and there often seems to be no end to the amount of money big-market owners will shell out to see top players on their teams. As mega-contracts become more common across the league and payroll sizes continue to grow, some teams appear to see the annual luxury tax threshold as more of a mere inconvenience than any real deterrent to spending.

The average total payroll across all MLB teams in 2023 is $147,827,561. The Houston Astros, the reigning champions and current favorites to win the World Series with odds of +600, have a payroll of $180,554,999, which is 22.1% higher than the league average. Not far behind the Astros with World Series odds of +900 are the New York Mets, who top the league with the highest payroll of $334,233,332, 126% higher than the league average.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Oakland Athletics have the lowest 2023 payroll at $42,425,000, with the Baltimore Orioles, at $50,691,666, not far behind them."

 

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Want to see your team on the list? View the 2023 payroll of all 32 MLB teams.

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About the Author

Mason Butts

After graduating from UCLA with a Master's in Education, Mason spent 5 years as a science educator in a South Los Angeles public high school. He is committed to supporting the holistic growth of all students and empowering them to live a life of relational, academic, and financial success. Now settled in the Bay Area, Mason enjoys facilitating professional developments and partnering with educators as they prepare students for a bright financial future. When Mason is not building curriculum or planning a training, he can be found cycling, trying new foods, and exploring the outdoors.

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