MLB team payrolls from highest to lowest: Money isn't everything in 2026

Here are the final team payrolls heading into the postseason, calculated by Major League Baseball's labor relations department, and obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The team with baseball's highest final payroll, the New York Mets at $345.8 million, will be sitting home in October. Meanwhile with baseball's lowest payroll, the Cleveland Guardians at $74.2 million, are in the postseason for the third consecutive season.

The team with the best record in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers , has the 19 th -highest. The team with the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays , has the sixth-lowest payroll.