The Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the New York Mets for three games this week has brought some of the biggest names — and salaries — together at Dodger Stadium.
According to ESPN, it is the most expensive series in MLB history with a combined competitive balance tax payroll of more than $1.07 billion.
The most expensive series in MLB history begins Monday night when the New York Mets, carrying a $375 million-plus CBT payroll, visit the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have an MLB-high $413.5 million CBT payroll this season.
When you factor in the competitive balance tax both teams are paying this year, the total player expenditure for the 2026 season jumps to more than $1.07 billion.
The previous most expensive series in MLB history was last year’s meeting between the Dodgers and Mets, which featured a combined payroll of $764 million.
The highest-paid player on the Dodgers is Shohei Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract prior to the 2024 season. However, all but $20 million of the total value is being deferred to 2034-2043.
The massive savings has allowed the Dodgers to continue adding elite talent to their roster. That most prominently has been seen with Kyle Tucker (four years, $240 million) and Blake Snell (five years, $182 million), who are the next two highest-paid players on the Dodgers roster by average annual salary.
Ohtani’s contract stood as the biggest in professional sports history until the Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million deal before the 2025 season. Soto isn’t playing against the Dodgers this week due to being on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain.
New York also has Francisco Lindor (10 years, $341 million) and Bo Bichette (three years, $126 million) as other high-priced players under contract.
“Yeah, they got a good roster,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the Mets. “They got a really good roster. They got really good players.
“Losing Soto is obviously a big blow to them, and hopefully, we can keep these guys down while they’re not swinging well. This guy McLean is a homegrown guy, very talented. But yeah, I mean, it’s high-priced, it’s a big city, big market, and they got a lot of good players.”
Dodgers, Mets trending in opposite directions
The Dodgers completed a sweep of the Mets, and boast the best record in baseball at 14-4.
New York, meanwhile, has dropped eight consecutive games and are just 8-11 to begin the 2026 season. They suffered back-to-back shutout losses before getting on the scoreboard Tuesday. Lindor ended their scoring drought at 20 innings with a leadoff home run against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, though the end result was another loss for the Mets.
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