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In an era when some MLB franchises spend over $300 million annually on player salaries in pursuit of a World Series ring, the two teams competing in this year's Fall Classic have taken a decidedly different approach. The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers both rank in the bottom half of the league in payroll, with Tampa allocating just $95,615,469 to its roster (the third-lowest in MLB) and Milwaukee committing $146,206,320 (the 19th-highest).
Tampa has only one player earning more than $10 million per year and just six making over $5 million. The Rays' top earners are Yandy Díaz ($12 million), Nick Martinez ($9 million), Freddy Peralta ($8 million), Steven Matz ($7.5 million), Cedric Mullins ($6.5 million) and Drew Rasmussen ($5.75 million).
Milwaukee, meanwhile, has eight players earning above $5 million per season. Captain Christian Yelich leads the way at $26 million annually, followed by veteran starter Brandon Woodruff at $22.025 million. Dustin May and Antonio Senzatela each earn $12 million, while William Contreras received $9.45 million through arbitration this season. Andrew Vaughn makes $7.65 million, Jackson Chourio $7.25 million, and standout reliever Aaron Ashby $5.7 million per year.
Both clubs have built their success by extracting value from bargain contracts. Milwaukee's top two starters, Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson, earn close to the league minimum, as does key setup man Abner Uribe. The same holds true for Tampa, whose important bats Jonathan Aranda ($796,400) and Junior Caminero ($794,800) remain in pre-arbitration. Both will be due significant raises in the future, but for now the Rays benefit from their low salaries.
Over the past decade-plus, most World Series winners have boasted high payrolls. A look at the last five champions reveals the disparity:
- 2021 Braves: $152,753,755 payroll; highest-paid player Freddie Freeman ($22,409,375); World Series MVP Jorge Soler earned $8,250,000.
- 2022 Astros: $183,791,796 payroll; highest-paid player Jose Altuve ($29,000,000); World Series MVP Jeremy Peña earned $700,000.
- 2023 Rangers: $251,332,754 payroll; highest-paid player and World Series MVP Corey Seager earned $35,500,000.
- 2024 Dodgers: $270,561,298 payroll; highest-paid player Shohei Ohtani ($70,000,000, though only $28,216,994 counted toward the competitive balance tax due to deferrals); World Series MVP Freddie Freeman earned $27,000,000.
- 2025 Dodgers: $359,227,505 payroll; World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned $18,333,000.
Each of the last five World Series winners had a higher payroll than both the Rays and Brewers. The 2020 Dodgers were the last championship team with a payroll lower than Milwaukee's current figure, though that came in a 60-game pandemic-shortened season. To find a title team with a lower payroll than Tampa's 2026 squad, one must go back to the 2008 Phillies, who won it all with a $66,576,256 payroll.
For context, three MLB teams exceeded $300 million in payroll in 2026: the Mets ($346,736,805), Dodgers ($339,319,244) and Yankees ($308,336,780). Eleven teams, including those three, topped $200 million: the Phillies, Blue Jays, Braves, Cubs, Astros, Padres, Red Sox and Tigers. Only the Marlins ($83,298,123) and Guardians ($74,459,014) had lower payrolls than Tampa.
How do the Rays and Brewers compare to champions in other top North American leagues? The Carolina Hurricanes' 2025-26 payroll is $87,122,892, with highest-paid player Sebastian Aho at $9,750,000 and Conn Smythe winner Jordan Staal at $2,900,000. The Seattle Seahawks' 2025 payroll is $274,260,060, with highest-paid player Uchenna Nwosu at $15,209,186 and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III at $2,693,517. The New York Knicks' 2026-27 payroll is $209,750,638, with highest-paid player Karl-Anthony Towns at $53,142,264 and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson at $34,944,001.
Except for the NHL, which has seen salaries rise dramatically this past offseason, this year's World Series teams trail the other champions of top North American leagues in payroll. Of course, NFL rosters are twice the size of MLB rosters, while NBA rosters are roughly half.
In college sports, the Texas Longhorns football team is estimated to be worth about $47.9 million, and the highest-paid player, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, is estimated to earn around $6.5 million through NIL, per On3. Mensah would be tied with Cedric Mullins as the fifth-highest earner on this year's Rays team, and he makes more than Junior Caminero, Jacob Misiorowski, Jonathan Aranda, Logan Henderson and Abner Uribe combined.
Key Analysis
The Rays and Brewers have demonstrated that success in MLB does not require a top-tier payroll, instead thriving through savvy roster construction and cost-controlled talent. Their World Series matchup serves as a counterpoint to the high-spending strategies of recent champions, underscoring the importance of player development and value contracts in building a contender.