Los Angeles Dodgers host New York Mets in record $1.07bn MLB series
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets begin the most expensive series in Major League Baseball history on Monday, with combined expenditures exceeding $1.07bn for the 2026 season.
The matchup features the sport’s two biggest financial powers going head-to-head in a highly anticipated regular-season spectacle.
The Californian franchise boasts an MLB-high competitive balance tax (CBT) payroll of $413.5m.
Meanwhile, the Queens-based club carries a CBT payroll of more than $375m into the fixture.
Unprecedented luxury tax bills
When factoring in the competitive balance tax both organisations must pay, the financial scale becomes even more stark.
Los Angeles faces an estimated tax bill of $161.9m this season.
That staggering penalty alone is higher than the total tax payrolls of 12 other major league teams.
New York is burdened with a $120m tax penalty of their own, which comfortably exceeds the entire payroll of six rival franchises.
Star-studded rosters and record contracts
The series will showcase some of the most lucrative individual contracts in the history of North American sports.
Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani anchors the Dodgers’ lineup on a heavily deferred 10-year deal worth $700m.
He is joined by outfielder Kyle Tucker, whose recent four-year contract carries an unprecedented $57m average annual value for CBT purposes.
On the opposing side, the Mets recently secured outfielder Juan Soto on a monumental 15-year, $765m agreement.
The sheer spending power of these two heavyweights completely dwarfs the rest of the league.
In fact, the combined salaries of Ohtani, Tucker, Soto and Bo Bichette exceed the total payroll of 14 different MLB franchises.
