Major League Baseball’s average salary increased to $5.34 million for the 2026 season, according to a study by the Associated Press. That salary represents at 3.4% increase from the $5.16 million that players averaged last year.
Despite the uproar over the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason spending, the New York Mets actually have baseball’s highest payroll this year at $352 million. (That’s less than the $355.4 million the team spent on salaries in 2023. But the Mets’ 2026 figure is up from last year’s $322.6 million payroll.)
The Dodgers rank second with a $316.6 million payroll after winning back-to-back World Series championships. That figure is less than last year’s $319.5 million, however, if not for deferred salaries, the Dodgers’ payroll would be $395.2 million, according to the AP. The Mets would be at $360 million without taking deferred salaries into consideration.
Coming in at third among MLB team payrolls is the New York Yankees at $297.2 million, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies at $282 million and Toronto Blue Jays with $269 million.
In addition to carrying the highest team payroll, the Mets also have the player with MLB’s highest average salary this season with Juan Soto earning $61.9 million. He has baseball’s top average salary for the second consecutive year. The Yankees’ Cody Bellinger is next at $42.5 million.
Filling out the top five among highest average individual salaries are Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler and Mets third baseman Bo Bichette at $42 million, followed by Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. earning $40.2 million. (Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge just missed the top five with his $40 million salary for 2026.)
Which teams boosted their payrolls most? The Detroit Tigers went from $64.2 million last season to $206.7 million this season, led by the $32 million that AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal won in arbitration. The Atlanta Braves increased their player budget by $44.1 million and the Chicago Cubs joined the Mets and Blue Jays by spending just under $30 million more.
The Minnesota Twins led MLB teams with the largest reduction in payroll, slashing their $96.5 million figure from last season to $46.3 million. (The team shed significant salaries at last season’s trade deadline.)
Other clubs with the biggest payroll decreases include the St. Louis Cardinals, who cut their player budget from $141.5 million to $100.4 million. The Cleveland Guardians reduced their payroll by $40 million, while the Texas Rangers cut payroll by $37.3 million and the Washington Nationals are paying $23.3 million less in salaries this year.
The median salary in MLB is $1.4 million this season, up by $50,000, according to the AP’s study. A $1 million salary is drawn by 519 players, while 19 players are earning $30 million or more, 74 have a $20 million salary and 168 will earn $10 million. MLB’s $780,000 minimum is being paid to 31 players.
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