As pitchers and catchers for six teams report to spring training on Tuesday, marking the unofficial start of the 2026 MLB season, now is as good a time as any to look back at how much all 30 clubs spent in the offseason to upgrade their rosters. <\/p>\n
To the surprise of no one who has been paying attention over the past three months, the two highest-spending teams in the offseason were the clubs that played in the 2025 World Series. <\/p>\n
2026 MLB Payrolls (Free-Agent Spending in Parentheses)<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Dodgers: $396.5 million ($316.5 million)New York Mets: $369.8 million ($249.8 million)New York Yankees: $333.2 million ($196.5 million)Philadelphia Phillies: $312 million ($227.9 million)Toronto Blue Jays: $295.2 million ($337 million)San Diego Padres: $259.5 million ($96.7 million)Boston Red Sox: $259.5 million ($137.9 million)Atlanta Braves: $254.7 million ($114.3 million)Chicago Cubs: $240.4 million ($232.1 million)Houston Astros: $234.2 million ($57.5 million)Detroit Tigers: $229.3 million ($178.8 million)San Francisco Giants: $223.5 million ($70 million)Arizona Diamondbacks: $204.9 million ($55.3 million)Texas Rangers: $199.7 million ($24.6 million)Los Angeles Angels: $187.2 million ($20.6 million)Baltimore Orioles: $183.9 million ($195 million)Seattle Mariners: $181.2 million ($99.8 million)Kansas City Royals: $180.1 million ($7.7 million)Cincinnati Reds: $147.7 million ($49.8 million)Milwaukee Brewers: $127.1 million ($1.3 million)Athletics: $126.7 million ($5.9 million)Pittsburgh Pirates: $121.2 million ($51.1 million)Colorado Rockies: $121.05 million ($20.8 million)St. Louis Cardinals: $118.6 million ($16 million)Minnesota Twins: $118.4 million ($23 million)Washington Nationals: $107.98 million ($5.5 million)Tampa Bay Rays: $105.2 million ($38 million)Chicago White Sox: $103.7 million ($76.5 million)Cleveland Guardians: $94.7 million ($7.9 million)Miami Marlins: $77.7 million ($19 million)<\/p>\n
Payrolls<\/a> and free-agent spending<\/a> via Spotrac. <\/p>\n Rather than rest on their laurels after getting to Game 7 of the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays capitalized on their thrilling 2025 season by being the highest-spending team in free agency with the hope of getting over that final hurdle. <\/p>\n Toronto signed four players to contracts of at least $30 million, led by Dylan Cease’s seven-year, $210 million deal. The right-hander was one of two players to get a free-agent contract of at least $200 million. <\/p>\n The other was given out by the team that defeated the Blue Jays in the World Series. Kyle Tucker, who as the consensus top free agent, wound up taking a four-year, $240 million contract from the Los Angeles Dodgers. <\/p>\n That was one of two record deals given out by the Dodgers. They also signed Edwin D\u00edaz to a three-year, $69 million contract. He is now the highest-paid closer<\/a> in MLB history by average annual salary. <\/p>\n Tucker’s $60 million average annual salary deal makes him the second-highest-paid<\/a> player in the sport, behind only his new teammate Shohei Ohtani ($70 million). <\/p>\n One of the late-rising teams up the free-agent spending rankings was the New York Yankees. Their biggest move prior to Jan. 21 was Trent Grisham accepting the one-year qualifying offer worth $22.025 million. <\/p>\n The staring contest between the Yankees and Cody Bellinger finally ended on Jan. 21 when he agreed to a five-year, $162.5 million<\/a> deal to return to the Bronx. His contract accounts for 83 percent of the $196.5 million they spent. <\/p>\n Staying in New York, the panic from Mets fans about their spending after losing D\u00edaz and Pete Alonso didn’t really last long. They finished third, behind the Blue Jays and Dodgers, in free-agent spending with $249.8 million given out. <\/p>\n That total doesn’t even include the players they acquired via trade, most notable Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers. <\/p>\n Some of the lower-spending teams in free agency did invest in other ways. The Athletics, for example, spent $156 million<\/a> between their two extensions for Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson. <\/p>\n The Cleveland Guardians extended<\/a> Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez again, this time giving their superstar third baseman a four-year, $106 million deal that brings the total value of his contract to $175 million over the next seven years. <\/p>\n