Mets Topped 2024 MLB Payrolls Ahead of Yankees, Dodgers; Total Spending Passed $5.1B

Even before handing out the richest contract in MLB history to Juan Soto during the offseason, the New York Mets spent the most money on their payroll in the league.

Per MLB's finalized figures from the 2024 season that were obtained by the Associated Press, the Mets' $333.3 million in payroll spending was nearly $23 million more than any other team.

The New York Yankees were second at $310.9 million, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers at $270.8 million. No other team was above $250 million.

Total payroll spending for all 30 teams during the 2024 season was just over $5.1 billion. The AP noted that figure has increased 27.3 percent since 2021 when the new collective bargaining agreement took effect.

The Mets' total payout from 2024 was $430.4 million when you add in their $97.1 million competitive balance tax bill. It marked the second consecutive year that Steve Cohen has spent more than $400 million between payroll and CBT payments ($420 million in 2023).

Per the AP, Cohen's spending since taking over as owner of the Mets in November 2020 is at $1.13 billion in payroll and $228.7 million in tax payments. His tax payments over the past four seasons is more than 22 teams spent on their payroll in 2024.

Heading into the 2025 season, the Mets actually rank second in payroll spending at $314.9 million. The Dodgers moved slightly ahead of them at $321 million with their contracts for players like Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Oakland Athletics' payroll of $66.5 million was easily the lowest in MLB. The Pittsburgh Pirates were 29th at $87.3 million. The only other teams that didn't spend at least $100 million were the Tampa Bay Rays ($90.3 million) and Miami Marlins ($98.1 million).