For the first time since 2021, the Los Angeles Dodgers have reclaimed their position as MLB’s biggest spenders, ending a three-year financial dominance by the New York Mets. In 2025, the Dodgers spent a combined $514.7 million in payroll and luxury tax as they cruised to their second consecutive World Series title.
According to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, the Dodgers committed $345.3 million to payroll and another $169.4 million in taxes, bringing their total spend to roughly $515 million. That is the highest figure ever recorded by an MLB franchise, surpassing the previous record of $430.4 million set by the Mets in 2024.
The scale of that investment looks even more remarkable when you consider that several contracts were adjusted to reflect deferred payments. The total also excludes pitcher Roki Sasaki’s minor-league signing bonus, which does not factor into the official payroll and luxury tax calculations, which only reinforces how aggressively Los Angeles has built this roster.
When a club spends at this level, it does more than dominate headlines. It also shapes expectations around the season, influences futures markets, and keeps the team firmly in focus across analysis and betting coverage. That is why baseball fans and bettors alike tend to follow platforms that track odds movement, projections, and team outlooks, through resources such as the top online sportsbooks listed on MightyTips, where broader MLB betting trends sit alongside predictions, previews, and bookmaker reviews.
Kate Richardson is the sports and betting expert with MightyTips, and follows the Dodgers’ record-shattering spend from last year.
The Gap Between Spenders Continues to Grow
Scott Boras, president of the Boras Corporation and arguably one of the most powerful agents in sports, lamented the lack of spending from teams in 2025.
“When we look at the number of teams that spend 50% [of their revenue], you would think a lot,” Boras told news channels. “No, it’s a very small number. You’ve got a number of teams that are spending below $100 million. Last year, there were six teams spending below $100 million, and the money they got from the general fund is above that.”
This year, it appears nothing much has changed for low-spending teams. For context, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets combined for roughly $948 million in total spending in 2025, nearly double the aggregate payroll of MLB’s eight lowest-spending teams. In fact, the Dodgers’ spending alone was 7x the Marlins’ payroll, the least-spending team in MLB.
Last year, the MLB’s financial divide widened significantly, with the spending ratio between the league’s five biggest spenders and its five lowest rising to 4.7, up roughly 30% from 3.6 in 2021. Notably, each of the five lowest-spending teams reported total payroll and luxury tax figures below $100 million, marking the most sub-$100 million clubs in league history.
Conversely, 11 teams reported $200 million or more in 2025, the joint highest number since 2023. Some 15 clubs, however, cut their payroll, including the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, and the Marlins.
Dodgers Benefit Annually from Ohtani Deal
Los Angeles had the highest payroll boost of all league teams last year with a $74.4 million jump. Yet, had it not been for deferred payments structuring, the Dodgers’ spending should have been $71 million more. For instance, Shohei Ohtani’s luxury-tax figure is calculated based on the average annual value of his 10-year, $700 million contract rather than the full $70 million headline salary, with the majority of his actual cash payments deferred until the 2030s.
Just three years after the Japanese struck a 10-year $700 million deal, the Dodgers are already reaping impressive benefits. According to a Sports Illustrated report, the Dodgers are making over $200 million from Shotime each year.
“The Dodgers are making at least $200 million a year off Ohtani,” Tom Verducci, sportswriter with Sports Illustrated, said. “Off one player. That’s just crazy. It allows them payroll room to sign players like [Blake] Snell, [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, and everybody else they’ve brought in.”
A franchise player like Ohtani has shown amazing prospects both on and off the pitch. Beyond winning the Dodgers’ two back-to-back World Series for the first time in their history and scooping up consecutive MVP awards, Ohtani’s deferral deal has also given the club financial flexibility.
In the 2025 offseason, the team signed outfielder Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz to multi-million-dollar contracts. Blake Snell also joined on a $182 million deal, thanks to Ohtani’s positive impact on the franchise’s finances.
Amid the benefits made from Ohtani’s joining and record-breaking 2025 spending, other teams have intensified calls for a salary cap in the MLB. With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire after the 2026 season, league stakeholders may meet to discuss salary caps.
