Small-market MLB teams do best with big salaries, undermining pressure from owners to cancel 2027 season

We’re almost a month into the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, and there have already been some big surprises, standout plays, and, most importantly, a complete and total dismantling of the “poor” small-market owner trope.

And hopefully it gives a good boost to the ridiculous push by those owners and fans who support canceling the 2027 season to increase franchise values.

In just the first few weeks of the season, we’ve seen high-profile contract extensions for minor leaguers, including one that set the record for the largest guaranteed money ever given to a prospect in the majors.

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Then, the San Diego Padres, playing in one of the smallest markets in the league, were sold for an astounding $3.9 billion to the owner of Chelsea Football Club. That sale price surpassed what Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets five and a half years ago by $1.4 billion. Simply put, there is no longer any logical argument: the business of baseball is booming.

But that’s the financial side, which is just one part of the “concern.” Another one? The perceived problem is the balance of competition in baseball. Well, it’s still early, but the start of the season has already shown why those “problems” have been overstated and fueled by owners who want to get rid of them. And those same Mets in New York showed how ridiculous clapping has been.

New York Mets losing streak, small market success is the story of 2026

That hand-wringing, that small-market teams can’t compete with the large payrolls of big-market teams, doesn’t really understand the gaps between baseball teams. Yes, there are significant benefits to having more money to spend on players. But that money must be spent wisely to be valuable. The Mets may be a good example of how money can’t fix everything.

The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the league in payroll, and caused a stir in the offseason by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz. Yes, the Dodgers are in first place … by a half game over the small-market Padres. Diaz gave up three runs without an out Sunday afternoon, pushing his ERA over 10, and Kyle Tucker became the 78th hitter in baseball so far, behind Colorado Rockies pitcher Hunter Goodman. The Dodgers still got off to a good start, but mostly because of the exceptional play from the bottom of the lineup, players like Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, and Miguel Rojas.

The Mets, who approached LA with a $370 million payroll and more than $500 million in payments due this year because of the luxury tax, have now lost 11 straight games after blowing a ninth-inning lead to the Cubs on Sunday. They are tied for the worst record in baseball, have scored the second fewest runs in the league, and are now eight games out of first place in the National League East already.

The Mets are also 43-60 as of late June 2025, one of the worst records in baseball at the time. Also, this is a team that will have spent nearly a billion dollars in payroll over the past two years. They missed the playoffs in 2025, and a bad start dropped their postseason chances to 41% this year.

Related: New York Mets $500 Million Team Loses 10 Games In A Row After Meeting By Zohran Mamdani

John Schneider, manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, yells at umpire Dan Merzel during the fifth inning of their MLB game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, on April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays, who made the 2025 World Series and had the fourth-highest revenue in baseball at nearly $290 million, are currently in last place in the American League East at 8-13. They have been bowled out for 26 runs.

What about the Philadelphia Phillies, who remain one of the biggest spending teams in baseball? They rank fifth in team payroll with $285 million, and a luxury tax payment of $320 million. They are in fourth place in the NL East at 8-13, and their -38 run differential is the worst in Major League Baseball.

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The Houston Astros rank seventh in payroll at nearly $240 million. They are in last place in the American League West, allowing the most runs of any team in the sport. Even worse than the Rockies, who play their home games at Coors Field.

What about the “poor” groups in the small market?

However, the Cincinnati Reds are in first place in the NL Central at 14-8 ahead of the big-market Cubs, who have spent more than $100 million. The Athletics are tied for first in the AL West. The Cleveland Rangers once again defied the alternate gods and sit in first place in the AL Central, despite a salary of less than $100 million. The Tampa Bay Rays are in second place in the AL East, just one game back. Miami, the team with the lowest salary in baseball, about $ 300 million behind the Mets, sits in second place and has outscored the Mets’ offense by 28 runs already.

Does this mean that the stand will end this way? No, it’s not. The Blue Jays and Astros, for example, have suffered from a rash of injuries and the Mets are missing Juan Soto. But therein lies the point. Injuries, underperformance, and expensive veterans declining as they age can easily derail a season for rich teams. Yes, the Dodgers have succeeded with big salaries, but they’ve done it by building depth through minor league development and targeting small-dollar signings. Is Mookie Betts out? Rojas, Alex Freeland, or Hyesong Kim could take part. Will Smith need more time off? Dalton Rushing, a top-35 former prospect is the backup. As franchise extensions and sales show, there is a lot of money around baseball. And as far as success goes, high payrolls don’t always correlate with success. MLB already has a competitive balance. There is no need for us to cancel the entire season, which, although they argue, will only enrich the owners of the league, so that they can succeed.