Before you assume that the Yankees and Dodgers are the #1 and #2 total payrolls in MLB, they are not. In fact, neither one of them have the top total payroll in MLB. That honor belongs to the New York Mets. Now the Yankees are #2, followed by the Astros, Phillies, then the Dodgers at 5. Another fact that may surprise you is that the difference in total team payrolls between the Met’s and the Dodgers is $76,768,782 according to spotrac.

There is a direct correlation between the top payrolls and making the play-offs as the top 6 highest total team payrolls made the play-offs. Those 6 teams are the top 5 teams above plus the Atlanta Braves. But, two of these top 6 teams have not only been spending top money, but they have recently been trying to outspend each other, and those two teams just happen to be facing off against each other in the 2024 World Series.

Yes, that would be the Yankees and the Dodgers. The Yankees have this guy in pinstripes who was a hometown kid, Aaron Judge. He was drafted with the supplemental pick in the 2013 MLB player draft that the Yankees received after losing Nick Swisher to free agency. 9 years later the Yankees named him Captain, an accolade not given to a Yankee since Derek Jeter retired 8 years prior. Plus, on the same day, December 20th 2022, Judge and the Yankees signed a historic 9 year $360 million contract, the largest free agent deal in MLB history.

He was the highest paid hitter for 356 days. Because the Dodgers would not be outdone as they signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million contract for 10 years. That obviously placed him as the highest paid player in MLB history.

During the 2019-20 season the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole to a $324 million 9 year deal, which was the largest payday for a MLB pitcher ever. Not only the largest overall contract which overtook the 7 year contract signed by Stephen Strasburg but it was also the largest contract based on average annual value. A feat that was previously held by some guy named Mike Trout.

That lasted until December 27th 2023 until the Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12 year deal that beat the Cole deal by $1M. It did not beat Cole’s average annual value but the Dodgers did have to pay a posting fee of an additional $50.625 million to the Orix Buffaloes.

These 4 superstars will clash in the next 7 games, unless one of them really goes off and puts their team on their shoulders and hoists The Commissioner’s Trophy. Which of these superstars do you think will shine the brightest? Do you then think his team will hoist The Commissioner’s Trophy?

Photo Credit; Billboard, Pinstripe Alley, Los Angeles Times, Spectrum News

Reasource Credit MLBTradeRumors.com, Baseball Reference, Wikipedia

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