The gap between baseball’s biggest and smallest spenders hit new extremes in 2024, with the New York Mets breaking their own spending record at a whopping $333 million.
That’s five times more than what the Oakland A’s spent on their entire team.
The Mets, under billionaire owner Steve Cohen, will pay nearly $100 million just in luxury tax penalties – more than the total payrolls of three different teams.
Right behind the Mets are their crosstown rivals, the Yankees, who spent $311 million on players. The World Series champion Dodgers came in third at $271 million, while the Phillies rounded out the top four at $249 million.
Some teams made big moves in different directions. The Arizona Diamondbacks boosted their spending by $48 million compared to last year. Meanwhile, the San Diego Padres went the opposite way, slashing $85 million from their payroll.
Here’s what makes these numbers really interesting:
 and Dodgers ($271M). Athletics rank lowest at $66M. Luxury tax details included.){kind=link}