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Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

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Sports October 7, 2023
Sam Dunn
Sam Dunn

MLB Playoff Payrolls 2023: The Highest & Lowest Spenders of the Postseason

Michael Owens/Getty Images
Last Updated: October 10, 2023
From the high-flying Dodgers to budget-smart Baltimore, check out our ranking of all the MLB Playoff payrolls for 2023.

The top three biggest spenders in baseball for the 2023 season? Yeah, they all missed the playoffs. New York’s various Mets and Yankees combined to drop well over $600 million on their rosters only to miss the postseason entirely, while the San Diego Padres regressed after a run to the NLCS a year ago.

Spending your way to supremacy in a league without a hard salary cap is clearly not as easy as it looks.

We love a good sexy number or two over here at Boardroom, so naturally, this bizarre occurrence got us thinking — what does this team payroll breakdown look like in real terms, and is there much of a relationship between spending and seeding?

Behold, the definitive ranking of the MLB Playoff payrolls among the 12 teams who made the postseason cut, from the flusher-than-flush Dodgers to the eye-poppingly budget-conscious Orioles and Rays, and beyond.

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MLB Payrolls 2023: Highest & Lowest Among Playoff Teams

All MLB salary data via Spotrac.

TEAMOVERALL
MLB RANK		PAYROLL
1. Texas Rangers4$251.33M
2. Philadelphia Phillies5$245.42M
3. Los Angeles Dodgers6$240.28M
4. Houston Astros7$237.11M
5. Toronto Blue Jays9$213.63M
6. Atlanta Braves10$206.24M
7. Minnesota Twins16$156.1M
8. Milwaukee Brewers19$125.34M
9. Arizona Diamondbacks21$119.26M
10. Miami Marlins22$105.43M
11. Tampa Bay Rays27$79.35M
12. Baltimore Orioles28$71.06M
Highest (and Lowest) MLB Payrolls of 2023
From the Mets and Yankees to the team in Oakland that shall not be named, find out how every last roster dollar was spent around baseball this season.
Show Me the Money!

Highest-paid Player on Every MLB Playoff Team

Click a player’s name to view his contract details.

PLAYERTEAM2023 $
t1. Justin VerlanderAstros$43.33M
t1. Max ScherzerRangers$43.33M
3. Carlos CorreaTwins$32M
4. Bryce HarperPhillies$27.54M
5. Freddie FreemanDodgers$27M
6. Christian YelichBrewers$26M
7. George SpringerBlue Jays$24.16M
8. Matt OlsonBraves$21M
9. Jorge SolerMarlins$19M
10. James McCannOrioles$12.15M
11. Ketel MarteDiamondbacks$11.6M
12. Zach EflinRays$11M

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Sam Dunn

Sam Dunn is the Managing Editor of Boardroom. Before joining the team, he was an editor and multimedia talent for several sports and culture verticals at Minute Media and an editor, reporter, and site manager at SB Nation. A specialist in content strategy, copywriting, and SEO, he has additionally worked as a digital consultant in the corporate services, retail, and tech industries. He cannot be expected to be impartial on any matter regarding the Florida Gators or Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter @RealFakeSamDunn.