New York Mets fans thought Steve Cohen was the franchise's savior when he purchased the team a half-decade ago, and it's hard to blame them. After years of Wilpon penny-pinching, the Mets were going to be owned by an individual who had more money than any other owner and had the desire to win at just about all costs.
Well, things haven't exactly gone as planned. They made the postseason in 2022, but 2023 was such a disaster that they orchestrated one of the biggest deadline sell-offs in recent memory. They were able to go on an unlikely run to the NLCS in 2024 and even signed Juan Soto that offseason, but they just collapsed in epic fashion, failing to even make it back to October.
Getting to the playoffs has never been easier with 12 of the 30 teams qualifying, yet the Mets, despite a massive payroll, failed to make the cut. To look at just how embarrassing it was to see the Mets miss the postseason with a payroll as high as theirs, let's take a look at how the MLB standings shook out when ordered by team payrolls.
Note: All payroll figures are via Spotrac.
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AL East
Rank | Team | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Yankees | $319 million (3rd) | 94-68 |
2 | Toronto Blue Jays | $280 million (5th) | 94-68 |
3 | Boston Red Sox | $246 million (7th) | 89-73 |
4 | Baltimore Orioles | $176 million (17th) | 75-87 |
5 | Tampa Bay Rays | $97 million (28th) | 77-85 |
The Mets are a prime example of spending money not guaranteeing success, but the AL East goes to show that spending money can go a long way. The New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox were in the top seven of payroll and each of these teams qualified for the postseason. The Tampa Bay Rays deserve credit for being somewhat competitive with a bottom-three payroll, but Rays fans certainly hope that a new ownership group being put into place will result in more money being spent as soon as this winter.
AL Central
Rank | Team | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kansas City Royals | $177 million (16th) | 82-80 |
2 | Detroit Tigers | $170 million (18th) | 87-75 |
3 | Minnesota Twins | $141 million (22nd) | 70-92 |
4 | Cleveland Guardians | $125 million (25th) | 88-74 |
5 | Chicago White Sox | $90 million (29th) | 60-102 |
The Mets' payroll was nearly double each of the five teams in the AL Central, yet this division has two teams that advanced to October. In fact, the division-winning Cleveland Guardians had the sixth-lowest payroll in the sport. Literally anything can happen in any given season, and that's what makes this sport awesome.
AL West
Rank | Team | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Houston Astros | $245 million (8th) | 87-75 |
2 | Texas Rangers | $238 million (9th) | 81-81 |
3 | Los Angeles Angels | $220 million (12th) | 72-90 |
4 | Seattle Mariners | $191 million (15th) | 90-72 |
5 | Athletics | $113 million (26th) | 76-86 |
For all of the talk about the Mets' failures, the Los Angeles Angels are consistently in the top half of the league in payroll and haven't made it to the postseason in over a decade. The Mets are proof that payroll doesn't mean as much as small-market owners want to think it does this season, but the Angels have been proof of this for quite some time. You need a competent owner and a strong front office to succeed, and the Angels have neither.
NL East
Rank | Team | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | New York Mets | $341 million (2nd) | 83-79 |
2 | Philadelphia Phillies | $308 million (4th) | 96-66 |
3 | Atlanta Braves | $238 million (10th) | 76-86 |
4 | Washington Nationals | $135 million (24th) | 66-96 |
5 | Miami Marlins | $85 million (30th) | 79-83 |
Losing Game 162 with this roster and this payroll to miss out on the postseason is one thing, but losing that game to the Miami Marlins, the team with the lowest payroll in the sport, is nothing short of ironic. The Marlins are a whole lot better than their record says they are, considering how they played in the second half, but there's no getting around losing to that team in that spot.
NL Central
Rank | Team | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago Cubs | $227 million (11th) | 92-70 |
2 | St. Louis Cardinals | $156 million (19th) | 78-84 |
3 | Milwaukee Brewers | $141 million (21st) | 97-65 |
4 | Cincinnati Reds | $141 million (23rd) | 83-79 |
5 | Pittsburgh Pirates | $105 million (27th) | 71-91 |
The NL Central is a division that has a nice mix of high-spending and low-spending success. The Chicago Cubs have a payroll in the top half of the league and went all-out over the offseason by acquiring Kyle Tucker. They won 92 games largely as a result of that. On the flip side, both the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds didn't spend all that much, yet Milwaukee had the best record in the majors and the Reds squeaked into the postseason over the Mets.
NL West
Rank | Team | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $416 million (1st) | 93-69 |
2 | San Diego Padres | $273 million (6th) | 90-72 |
3 | San Francisco Giants | $217 million (13th) | 81-81 |
4 | Arizona Diamondbacks | $213 million (14th) | 80-82 |
5 | Colorado Rockies | $148 million (20th) | 43-119 |
The Los Angeles Dodgers obviously had a much better season than the Mets, but despite having the league's highest payroll by a wide margin, their season could be over by Wednesday. They are yet another team proving that money isn't quite everything.