The remaining teams are proving that a salary cap isn’t necessary

As we know, the current negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement are primarily focused on establishing a salary cap.

However, that shouldn't be the case. In fact, only five Major League Baseball teams remain in the playoff picture, and four of them rank in the bottom half of the entire MLB in terms of payroll.

The only big spenders still in the running this fall are, of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Admittedly, this is the team that has won two consecutive World Series titles and boasts ten players with contracts worth more than $20 million, including Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, to name just a few.

But when you look at the other teams still playing in October, there's a significant gap in payrolls—and success is following suit. In fact, by comparison, the Milwaukee Brewers have only one contract worth more than $20 million on their books: Christian Yelich's.

Baseball's Final 4:

No. 1 Payroll: Dodgers

……

No. 19 Payroll:

Brewers…

No. 28 Payroll: Rays

…

No. 27 White Sox OR No. 29 Guardians. It's

going to be wild to watch this unfold

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 8, 2026

In addition, one of the Tampa Bay Rays, the Chicago White Sox, or the Cleveland Guardians will represent the American League in the World Series.

However, among the Rays, the team's highest-paid player this season is Nick Martinez, who has a $13 million contract.

For their part, the White Sox are one win away from reaching the American League Championship Series, and Munetaka Murakami ($17 million) was the team's highest-paid player before they acquired Luis Castillo ($23.5 million) at the trade deadline.

Finally, the Guardians have only one player earning $20 million or more: Jose Ramirez, who just barely clears that threshold with his $20.8 million contract.

Meanwhile, the New York Mets ($358 million), Toronto Blue Jays ($315 million), and Detroit Tigers ($230 million) didn't even make the playoffs. And the other six teams in the top 10—with the exception of the Dodgers—have already been eliminated.

So spending a lot doesn't guarantee a spot in the World Series—or any other success, for that matter. Of course, many small-market teams don't have the same resources as others, but that doesn't mean they can't win.

Aside from the Dodgers, the four remaining teams have largely built their core from within the organization, and that has paid off.

A salary cap isn't necessary in Major League Baseball.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.