Dodgers Shattered MLB Spending Record in 2025 Season

Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been known for spending large amounts on their roster in recent years, but in 2024, the New York Mets took the big-spending crown.

Much like the last two World Series titles, though, the record is back in Los Angeles, and it’s expected to stay there.

How much did the Dodgers spend in 2025?

In a first for baseball, the half-billion dollar mark was breached last season.

Between the Dodgers’ $345.3 million payroll and $169.4 luxury tax, the Boys in Blue racked up a $514.7 million bill, as detailed by the Associated Press.

Just the year before in 2024, the Mets had set the mark at $430.4 million, the third straight year they’d topped all MLB teams.

Apr 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

But in 2025, their total spending increased only slightly, up to $433.7 million, including a payroll of $342.1 million, just $3.2 million below that of the Dodgers.

The difference between the total spending for the Dodgers and Mets in 2025: $81 million.

Don’t expect the gap to remain that large, though.

Will the Dodgers set the spending record again this season?

The AP’s projections have the Dodgers again edging the Mets with the 2026 season’s expenses, but both are expected to fall a bit short of the half-billion dollar mark.

“Los Angeles is projected as of MLB’s opening-day figures to lead in 2026 spending with a $323.3 million payroll for its 40-man roster and a $163.7 million tax for a $487.1 million total,” the report explained. “The Mets began with a record payroll at $358.4 million and have a projected tax of $124.1 million for a $482.5 million spend.”

So for this season, the Dodgers’ expenditures are expected to fall $27.6 million.

The Mets, meanwhile, are expected to increase expenditures by about $48.8 million.

Is the Mets spending helping them win?

All that extra spending hasn’t helped, though.

As Newsday’s Mets reporter Laura Albanese noted on social media, “since June 13 of last year, the Mets have been on a 107 loss pace.”

And when the Mets (7-13) came to Los Angeles earlier this week, the result was a three-game sweep by the Boys in Blue.

So while the teams’ payrolls might look the same, the product on the field looks worlds apart.