Since being purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been among the biggest spenders in all of baseball, routinely placing in the top five in payroll each year.
The Dodgers topped the league in payroll in each of the past two seasons, and set a record with a $291 million mark in 2015.
The Dodgers also entered the 2022 campaign with the highest payroll after an offseason that saw them sign Freddie Freeman to a six-year, $162 million contract.
However, L.A. has since fallen behind the New York Mets in total payroll due to Trevor Bauer’s two-year suspension without pay, via Ronald Blum of The Associated Press:
New York entered the last full month of the season with a $273.9 million payroll, according to updated figures through Aug. 31 complied by Major League Baseball. The Dodgers are second at $267.2 million, followed by the New York Yankees at $254.4 million.
When factoring in the luxury tax threshold, the Mets are projected to finish with a payroll just shy of $300 million, which would set an MLB record:
For purposes of the luxury tax, which uses average annual values for players on 40-man rosters, the Mets are on track to set a record at $298.8 million and eclipse the 2015 Dodgers’ $297.9 million. Luxury tax payrolls include just over $16 million per team for benefits and $1.67 million for each club’s share of the new $50 million pool for pre-arbitration players.
The Mets are on track to pay $29.9 million in taxes while the Dodgers could owe $29.4 million as a repeat offender. If New York’s payroll stays as is, it would mark their first time leading MLB in that category since 1989.
Dodgers among six teams on pace to exceed luxury tax threshold
After blowing past the luxury tax threshold last season, the Dodgers are on pace to do so again this year. They are joined by the Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres as other teams expected to pay the luxury tax.
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