Who has the highest Opening Day payroll in MLB? Not the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been broadly accused of “ ruining baseball ,” using their owners’ deep financial war chest and television revenues to outspend 29 teams en route to back-to-back World Series championships. They have even become an avatar for the broader argument in favor of instituting a salary cap in MLB — an argument owners are likely to wield once the Collective Bargaining Agreement with MLB’s players union expires in December. MORE: Dodgers sign former Yankees pitcher, 4-year MLB veteran For all its merit, the Dodgers-are-ruining-baseball argument is undercut by an inconvenient fact: their 2026 Opening Day payroll is not the highest in the league.

According to USA Today , that distinction belongs to the New York Mets, whose 40-man payroll is projected at $357. 6 million (in MLB’s calculated present-day value). The Dodgers are second at $322.

4 million, Bob Nightengale reported March 25. The numbers are real, but they lie to a degree. The Dodgers’ Opening Day outlay is suppressed by the deferred salaries of players who will be an integral part of their 2026 roster.

Kyle Tucker ($10 million), Shohei Ohtani ($68 million), Blake Snell ($13. 2 million), and Mookie Betts ($10 million) will defer more than $100 million this season between only four players. Still, it’s not as if the Dodgers are outpacing MLB — of that other teams are unwilling or unable to defer players’ salaries.