Small market MLB teams are outperforming big payrolls, undermining owners’ push to cancel 2027 season

We have almost a month 2026 Major League Baseball regular season and there have already been some big surprises, outstanding performances and most importantly the complete elimination of the “poor” small market owner trope.

And hopefully this provides positive momentum against the ridiculous efforts of team owners and fans to cancel the 2027 season to increase franchise values.

In just the first few weeks of the season, we’ve seen several high-profile contract extensions for young prospects in smaller markets; one of which broke the record for the largest monetary guarantee ever given to a player who had not yet played in the major leagues.

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Later, San Diego Padres, playing in one of the league’s smallest markets, was sold to the owner of Chelsea Football Club for a jaw-dropping $3.9 billion. That sale price exceeded the price Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets just five and a half years ago by $1.4 billion. Simply put, there is no longer any reasonable debate: The business of baseball is evolving rapidly.

But this is only the financial side, which is only part of the “concern”. The other one? Supposed problem with competitive balance in baseball. It’s still early, but the start of the season has already shown why these “issues” have been greatly exaggerated and weaponized by owners pushing for a salary cap. And the same New York Mets showed how ridiculous the handshake has become.

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

This frustration that small-market teams cannot compete with the high payrolls of big-market teams results in a fundamental misunderstanding of the differences between baseball teams. Yes, there are significant advantages to having more money to spend on players. But for this money to matter, it must be spent wisely. mets It may be a perfect example of how money can’t fix everything.

Los Angeles Dodgers He led the league in payroll and caused mass outrage by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz in the offseason. Yes, the Dodgers are in first place by a half-game lead over the small-market Padres. Diaz gave up three runs without striking out on Sunday afternoon, pushing his ERA over 10 and Kyle Tucker becoming the 78th most valuable hitter in baseball so far, behind Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman. The Dodgers are still off to a great start, but that’s mostly thanks to outstanding performances from players at the bottom of the roster like Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, and Miguel Rojas.

The Mets, who are second only to Los Angeles with a $370 million payroll and more than $500 million in payments due this year thanks to the luxury tax, have lost 11 straight games after blowing a ninth-inning lead to the Cubs on Sunday. They have the worst record in baseball, have hit the second-fewest home runs in the league and are currently eight games out of first place in the National League East.

The Mets are also 43-60 since the end of June 2025, one of the worst records in baseball during that time frame. Again, this team will have spent nearly a billion dollars on payroll over the last two years. They miss the playoffs in 2025, and the poor start has reduced their postseason chances to just 41% this year.

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

Meanwhile, Toronto Blue JaysThe team, which won the 2025 World Series and has the fourth-highest payroll in baseball at nearly $290 million, currently sits last in the American League East at 8-13. They are already behind by 26 runs.

How about the Philadelphia Phillies, always one of baseball’s biggest spending teams? They rank fifth with $285 million in team payroll and a luxury tax payroll of $320 million. They are fourth in the NL East at 8-13, and their -38 spread is literally the worst in Major League Baseball.

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Houston Astros It ranks seventh with nearly $240 million in payroll. They are last 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” teams in the small market?

Alright, Cincinnati Reds They hold first place in the NL Central, 14-8 ahead of the big-market Cubs, who spent more than $100 million on them. The Athletics are tied for first place in the AL West. The Cleveland Guardians are once again defying the run differential gods and sitting in first place in the AL Central despite having a payroll well under $100 million. The Tampa Bay Rays sit in second place in the AL East, just a half-game behind. Miami, which has the lowest payroll in baseball, sits in second place, nearly $300 million behind the Mets, and has already outscored the Mets’ offense by 28 points.

Does this mean the rankings will end this way? No, not necessarily. For example, the Blue Jays and Astros suffered numerous pitching injuries and the Mets missed Juan Soto. But therein lies the real issue. Injuries, poor performance and the decline of expensive veteran players as they age can easily derail the season for richer teams. Yes, the Dodgers have had success with big payrolls, but they’ve done so by building depth through minor league development and targeting small-dollar signings. No Mookie Betts? Rojas, Alex Freeland or Hyesong Kim could fill that void. Will Smith need more leave? Dalton Rushing, a former top-35 prospect, is a reserve player. There’s plenty of money floating around baseball, as extensions and franchise sales show. As the rankings so far show, higher payrolls don’t always correlate with success. MLB already has competitive balance. We don’t need to cancel an entire season, which despite their arguments, would only enrich the league’s owners to achieve that.