Marlins Payroll Numbers for Last Season, Next Season Either Joke or Plan
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The Miami Marlins are the spend-thrifts of Major League Baseball. The proof was finalized earlier this week.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale posted the final team payrolls for the 2025 season. The takeaway for most was the sheer largesse of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ final 2025 payroll. The Dodgers had the highest payroll in baseball by more than $70 million over the New York Mets, as they paid their players $417.3 million. That meant the Dodgers had to pay an incredible $169.3 million in competitive balance tax, which is spread out to smaller market teams.
The Dodgers won the World Series for the second straight season, so their ownership is probably just fine with paying the excess.
Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins had the lowest payroll in the game, as they paid $86.9 million in 2025. That was $5 million less than the Chicago White Sox, who paid $91.8 million and had fewer wins than the Marlins.
So, what’s going on here?
Miami’s Payroll Game
The final CBT payrolls with the Dodgers paying record taxes pic.twitter.com/W8B78F3Mkt
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 19, 2025
On one hand, Marlins fans might find this payroll a joke. Miami is one of the largest media markets in the country and its metro area is one of the most populous in the country. Yet, Miami has the game’s lowest payroll. So, no CBT tax. The Marlins have that going for them.
On the other hand, the Marlins have emphasized a commitment to growing their own talent, which means leaning on its farm system and hoping that it’s pre-arbitration players and arbitration players can perform at a level that will allow them to make the playoffs, perhaps as early as 2026. Miami feels so good about this young talent that per MLB.com the Marlins are reticent to give out deals of more than one year to free agents.
Recently, Miami signed Christopher Morel to a one-year deal worth $2 million. The Marlins are reportedly interested in pitcher Pete Fairbanks, with a potential cost over $10 million. But, Fairbanks is hoping for a two-year deal, something the Marlins may not want to do.
Signing Morel did nothing to push the Marlins’ 2026 payroll into the stratosphere. Per Spotrac, the Marlins have the lowest projected total tax payroll in baseball at $68.3 million. If the Marlins wanted to spend $175 million, they could and still not owe any tax money.
The only player on a veteran deal is pitcher Sandy Alcantara, who will make $11.2 million in 2026. The rest of the roster is pre-arbitration or arbitration eligible. It helps control costs and, if the talent is right, it can lead to success.
That’s what the Marlins are hoping for, even if it looks embarrassing on paper.
