Marlins Most Efficient Team in 2025

The Marlins were the most cost-efficient team in baseball this year – spending a mere $859,000 per win – the only team under $1 million.

The least-efficient: the big-spending Mets, who spent $4.1 million per win – and still faltered against the Marlins in the final weekend of the season to miss the playoffs.

For those who did get into the post-season, the most efficient were the Guardians, who got into the first round with $1.14 million per win (MPW). The smartest spending came from the small-market Brewers, who paid $1.25 MPW million per win and made it all the way to the National League championship.

This is my eighth year measuring costs per win. I use Spotrac for salaries, because they measure all expenses, including injured and “buried,” meaning players getting paid who are now longer with the club. The Marlins, for example, paid the long-gone Avisail Garcia $12 million this year and the invisible Wu-Suk Go $2.75 million. (Next year, the Fish will start giving the Yankees $10 million annually to help pay for Giancarlo Stanton.)

Last year, four of the first seven most efficient teams made the playoffs. This year, it was three of the first eight – Guardians, Brewers and Reds.

Smart spending can get a team into the playoffs, but when it comes to going all the way, big bucks still pave the way for ultimate victory. The last time a small-market team won a World Series was 2015 with the Royals.

This year, the super-charged Dodgers have the highest payroll in baseball: $350.3 million. They spent $3.8 MPW – three times as much as the Brewers. The four starting pitchers they used to beat Milwaukee earned $93.3 million (and this number was artificially low because I counted only half of Otani’s $28.2 million he received, a misleading number since most of his contract is deferred far into the future.) Five teams’ total payroll was less than the Dodgers’ starters.

The Bluejay weren’t cheapskates. Their $255 million was seventh highest in the majors. They spent almost $1 million more per win than the Mariners did during the regular season.

Of course, it doesn’t take a lot of front-office talent to have a small payroll and lose a lot of games: The Pirates and the A’s are notable examples. Still, they don’t compare with the Rockies, who managed a meager 43 wins despite having a middle-level payroll. Each Colorado win cost $3 million – the same as the big-bucks Phillies.

Then there are teams who are dreadfully inefficient over many seasons. The Angels lead this list. They spend a lot of money every season, but they haven’t been in the playoffs since 2014, when they were swept by the Royals in the first round. This year, the Angels spent $2.8 MPW – more than twice the Brewers’ rate. In fact, nine teams made the post-season by spending less per win than the Angels.

What about the Rays? For my first six years, they made the playoffs with tiny salaries – often leading in cost per win. But they’ve now missed the post-season two years in a row. In 2025, they had fewer wins than the resurgent Marlins.

The Orioles too have been sliding downhill – wins declining, costs going up. This year, 14 teams were more efficient.

What to make of the Braves? They were awful this year – with fewer wins than the Marlins although their payroll was three times as much. Atlanta blamed injuries – and they had a lot. Players on the injured list cost them $68 million, according to Spotrac, but the successful Bluejays spent $70 million on injured players. The underachieving Rangers led that category with $103 million injured. All three of these teams spent more on injured than the Marlins did on their total payroll.

Here's the complete list. Playoff teams in bold face.

TEAMS	PAYROLL	WINS	WINS/$
			MILLIONS
Marlins	67.9	79	0.85
A's	79.1	76	1.04
Rays	87.6	77	1.14
Guardians	100.4	88	1.14
Pirates	84.4	71	1.19
Brewers	121.7	97	1.25
White Sox	78.8	60	1.31
Reds	119.5	83	1.43
Royals	136.3	82	1.66
Nationals	110	66	1.68
Cardinals	131.2	78	1.68
Tigers	157.6	87	1.81
Mariners	164.5	90	1.83
Twins	131.3	70	1.88
Orioles	159.5	75	2.12
Giants	178.3	81	2.2
Dbacks	179	80	2.24
Red Sox	200.9	89	2.25
Cubs	211.9	92	2.3
Padres	216.8	90	2.41
Astros	232.9	87	2.68
Bluejays	255.3	94	2.72
Rangers	226	81	2.79
Angels	206.7	72	2.87
Braves	218.8	76	2.88
Rockies	128.6	43	2.99
Phillies	290.3	96	3.02
Yankees	305.2	94	3.24
Dodgers	350.3	93	3.77
Mets	342.4	83	4.12

 

Wealthy Teams Win -- for a Change

 This year money does seem to buy at least some happiness.   The two MLB teams that had the highest payrolls this year – the Yankees and Mets – made it into the final four. Each had a payroll of over $300 million. The Mets spent an astonishing $3.6 million per victory to lead the majors, the Bronx Bombers second with $3.3 million. The Dodgers also have a humongous payroll.

Contrast that to last year when the five teams that spent the most per win didn’t make the playoffs: Rockies ($2.9 million per win), Padres ($3.1 M), Angels ($3.15 M), Yankees ($3,4 M) and the Mets at an astonishing $4.6 million per win.

 This is my seventh year measuring MLB team efficiencies: Payroll divided by victories. I use Spotrac for payroll, because it includes all paid players, even those no longer on the active roster.

This year, four of the seven teams with the lowest per victory cost made the Playoffs: The Tigers at $1.14 M, Guardians at 1.16M, Orioles at $1.2M and Brewers at $1.24M.

          Clearly, the award for stupidest spending this year goes to the White Sox. They managed to set an MLB record for most losses ever in a season while having a middle-of-the pack payroll of $133.8M (15 teams spent less money). With 41 victories, that meant the White Sox spent $3.26M per win – just a tiny bit less than the Yankees.

          The Dodgers meanwhile belong in a separate category. Their 2024 payroll is officially $241 million. Four teams spent more. Cost per win: $2.46M. Eleven teams spent more per win. But this number needs an asterisk: Ohtani is paid $2 million this year, with the rest of his $70M salary deferred, if I’m reading Spotrac correctly.

          Each season is always something of a crapshoot. Injuries hurt last year’s champs, the Rangers ($2.9M per win) and the perennial playoff Braves ($2.6M).

          But then there are the truly stupid teams: the ones who spend big year after year to get mediocre results and miss the playoffs. Prime example: The Angels continue to spend big bucks but haven’t made the playoffs since 2014. This year, they spent $2.7M per win. Four teams spent less than half of that per win and made the playoffs.

          Other futile big spenders were the Cubs ($2.8M per win) and the Blue Jays ($2.9M).

          My Miami Marlins had a payroll of $97 million. Only three teams paid less. By getting rid of almost any player with trade value, they had a miserable 62 victories, each costing an average of $1.6 million. Ten teams spent less.

          Some teams – Oakland and Pittsburgh – consistently spend little and have crummy seasons.

          Contrast that with Tampa, which has been regularly at or near the top in cheapest costs per win while making the playoffs. This year, only Oakland had a cheaper cost-per-win, but for the first time in six years, the Rays missed the post-season.

		Payroll	Wins	$ Millions
		in Millions		per Wins
1	Oakland	63.4	69	0.9188
2	Tampa Bay	88.8	80	1.11
3	Pittsburgh	85.8	76	1.1289
4	Detroit	98.5	86	1.1453
5	Cleveland	106.8	92	1.1609
6	Baltimore	109.8	91	1.2066
7	Milwaukee	115.5	93	1.2419
8	Cincinnati	100.3	77	1.3026
9	Kansas City	122.5	86	1.4244
10	Washington	106.4	71	1.4986
11	Miami	97.5	62	1.5726
12	Minnesota	131	82	1.5976
13	Seattle	148.3	85	1.7447
14	San Diego	171.8	93	1.8473
15	Arizona	172.8	89	1.9416
16	St Louis	175.9	83	2.1193
17	Boston	190	81	2.3457
18	Colorado	147.3	61	2.4148
19	LA Dodgers	241	98	2.4592
20	San Fran	206	80	2.575
21	Philadelphia	247	95	2.6
22	Atlanta	236.4	89	2.6562
23	LA Angels	172.2	63	2.7333
24	Chi Cubs	230	83	2.7711
25	Texas	225.5	78	2.891
26	Houston	255.3	88	2.9011
27	Toronto	218	74	2.9459
28	White Sox	133.8	41	3.2634
29	NY Yankees	309.4	94	3.2915
30	NY Mets	317.8	89	3.5708