There's no real argument to be made: the Los Angeles Dodgers are stamped as baseball's top spending team.
While the Dodgers have always been one of the more well-off squads in the league financially, they've taken things to historic levels in the 2020s. In the 2023-24 offseason, they forked over the largest contract in MLB history at the time, signing Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million deal. Elsewhere, L.A. has added superstar talent in its lineup, rotation and bullpen by flexing its financial muscles.
Team owner Mark Walter and the rest of the front office have proven time and time again that they're willing to spend if it means World Series contention. Compare the Dodgers to the rest of the 2025 postseason field -- especially their NL Wild Card series opponent, the Cincinnati Reds -- and there are some fascinating discrepancies in team payroll.
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Here's a breakdown of the Dodgers' 2025 payroll, including how it stacks up against other postseason squads.
MORE: Ranking the 22 best players in the 2025 MLB postseason
Dodgers payroll breakdown 2025
The Dodgers' total 2025 payroll is $350,300,236, according to Spotrac, but their estimated tax payroll is $416,906,749. That means that while the roster is making a combined $350.3 million (which ranks second in MLB), as it relates to MLB's luxury tax thresholds, the team's payroll is counted as the $416.9 million, the highest in the league.
One of the biggest reasons for that discrepancy is Ohtani's deferred contract, which pays him only $2 million in cash in 2025, but still counts as $46 million against the tax. Other deals affect the tax differently as well, including pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto's large contract. His deal is backloaded, with a base salary less than $10 million this season, but his salary counts as $27.1 million against the tax in all 12 years of the contract.
Here's the full list of the highest-paid Dodgers in 2025, according to Spotrac.
| Player | Position | 2025 Payroll Salary |
| Tyler Glasnow | SP | $32,500,000 |
| Blake Snell | SP | $28,436,867 |
| Shohei Ohtani | DH/SP | $28,216,944 |
| Mookie Betts | SS | $26,173,581 |
| Freddie Freeman | 1B | $22,704,674 |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | SP | $18,333,333 |
| Michael Conforto | LF | $17,000,000 |
| Clayton Kershaw | SP | $16,000,000 |
| Max Muncy | 3B | $14,500,000 |
| Teoscar Hernandez | RF | $13,308,212 |
Reds payroll breakdown 2025
The Dodgers' opponent to open the 2025 postseason, the Reds, look a lot different financially, to say the least.
According to Spotrac, Cincinnati has a total 2025 payroll of $119,523,192, which ranks 19th in MLB. The Reds' tax payroll is $141,354,399, which falls 23rd in MLB this season.
While the Dodgers have 11 different players making at least $10 million in 2025 payroll, the Reds have just one: pitcher Nick Martinez, who is playing on a qualifying offer this season at $21,050,000. Otherwise, no Reds player is making more than $9 million in 2025.
Here's a breakdown of the Reds' highest-paid players this season, per Spotrac.
| Player | Position | 2025 Payroll Salary |
| Nick Martinez | SP | $21,050,000 |
| Brady Singer | SP | $8,750,000 |
| Emilio Pagan | RP | $8,200,000 |
| Ke'Bryan Hayes | 3B | $7,000,000 |
| Hunter Greene | SP | $6,333,333 |
| Zack Littell | SP | $5,720,000 |
| Tyler Stephenson | C | $4,925,000 |
| Austin Hayes | LF | $4,100,000 |
| Jose Trevino | C | $3,425,000 |
| Gavin Lux | LF | $3,325,000 |
MLB playoff payrolls 2025
Here's how the 12 MLB postseason teams in 2025 stack up in payroll, according to Spotrac.
| Team | 2025 Payroll | League Payroll Ranking |
| Dodgers | $350,300,236 | 1st |
| Yankees | $300,187,616 | 3rd |
| Phillies | $290,286,320 | 4th |
| Blue Jays | $255,380,936 | 5th |
| Padres | $216,835,142 | 9th |
| Cubs | $211,947,613 | 10th |
| Red Sox | $200,904,575 | 12th |
| Mariners | $164,517,201 | 15th |
| Tigers | $157,566,294 | 17th |
| Brewers | $121,674,704 | 22nd |
| Reds | $119,523,192 | 23rd |
| Guardians | $100,365,192 | 25th |