\u201cOur payroll gap from top to bottom is $446 million,\u201d commissioner Rob Manfred told Pat McAfee on May 27. \u201cThat\u2019s not a fair fight. The numbers really bear out that it\u2019s not a fair fight. If you have a high payroll, you\u2019re much more likely to make the playoffs. If you have a high payroll, your chances of going to each of the successive rounds are massively higher than a low-payroll club.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Manfred was correct in pointing out that the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> spent $446 million more on players, accounting for their Competitive Balance Tax penalty, than the Miami Marlins<\/a> in 2025.<\/p>\n But much of the Dodgers\u2019 $446 million payout \u2014\u00a0$169 million, per ESPN<\/a> \u2014\u00a0were luxury-tax payouts that funded player benefits, retired-player pensions, and rival teams via revenue sharing.<\/p>\n The MLB Players Association has argued<\/a> that more spending on player salaries by revenue-sharing recipients is a preferable measure for ensuring competitive balance. And one former general manager punctured a hole in MLB\u2019s argument that a salary cap is necessary.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n More news: MLB Players Association Blasts League\u2019s Salary Cap Proposal<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPayroll explains about 1\/3 of why teams win,\u201d Scott wrote on X. \u201cThe other 2\/3 is the part the cap conversation isn\u2019t actually about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what makes up the other 2\/3?\u201d Scott continued. \u201cFour buckets, roughly in order of impact: Acquisition. Scouting, draft, trades, signings. Development. Turning B prospects into major leaguers. Governance. Owner alignment, who\u2019s in the room, how much runway baseball ops gets. Luck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA cap changes who\u2019s allowed to spend,\u201d Scott concluded. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t change the 2\/3. If owners are selling this as competitive balance, the data doesn\u2019t really support the pitch. So what\u2019s the cap conversation actually about?\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The MLBPA has argued<\/a> the cap conversation is a cover for owners who would prefer to pocket more of their baseball and non-baseball revenues than bid on free agents. Owners would obviously disagree.<\/p>\n Scott is nearly five years removed from his last job in MLB as the New York Mets<\/a>\u2018 acting GM, and now negotiates contracts for baseball coaches and executives. He doesn\u2019t have a seat at the CBA negotiating table.<\/p>\n But he does have an impartial view of how money correlates with winning from his time with the Mets and Boston Red Sox<\/a>. It\u2019s a more nuanced view than the one players or owners are likely to be pitching on the Pat McAfee Show \u2014\u00a0and likely closer to the truth than either extreme.<\/p>\n For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Related Articles<\/p>\n![\"Zack](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6e109497a56755810a14298e12659b2d.jpeg\"\/)
Acting general manager Zack Scott of the New York Mets<\/a> looks on during batting practice prior to a game against the San Diego Padres<\/a> at Citi Field on June 11, 2021 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Padres 3-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n