Who are the highest-paid MLB players in the 2024 World Series?

The New York Yankees will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, marking the 12th matchup between these two premier franchises in Major League Baseball History.

The star-studded matchup will feature two of MLB’s biggest markets, the presumptive MVPs of the American League and National League, and two massive player payrolls. Here is what to know about the 2024 World Series by the numbers.

204 World Series biggest paychecks

In the 2024 season, the Yankees' payroll was $309 million, the second highest in MLB, while the Dodgers had the fifth largest at $241 million. The New York Mets, who lost to the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, had the highest payroll this season.

The combined payroll of the Yankees and Dodgers at $550 million is the largest ever for a World Series matchup, surpassing the $427 million in 2022 and $426 million in 2018, according to Spotrac data.

The highest-paid player on the Los Angeles Dodgers this season is pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, with a staggering salary of $55 million. Meanwhile, on the New York Yankees, outfielder Aaron Judge holds the title of the highest earner at $40 million. It’s worth noting that despite these impressive figures, Yamamoto’s 2024 payroll total is still technically less than Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million salary-cap charge.

Shohei Ohtani made headlines last year when he signed a groundbreaking contract that reshaped the landscape of team Sports. This deal, valued at an astounding $700 million over a period of 10 years, is unique not only for its size but also for its distinctive structuring. Under this agreement, Ohtani will receive a total of $20 million during the first decade, followed by an enormous payout of $680 million in the subsequent 10 years.

Due to this unusual structure, Ohtani’s $70 million salary-cap charge effectively translates to only $2 million in actual salary he will be paid this season. This discrepancy highlights the complexities of contract negotiations in professional Sports, where salary-cap implications and player compensation can diverge significantly.