MLB’s Richest Teams Battle Injuries Before Trade Deadline

MLB’s Richest Teams Battle Injuries Before Trade Deadline \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Baseball’s highest-spending teams — the Mets, Dodgers, and Yankees — are underperforming as injuries pile up and the trade deadline looms. All three are playoff contenders but struggling to meet preseason expectations after aggressive offseason moves. Calls for a salary cap resurface as spending disparity continues to shape the MLB landscape.

Quick Looks

• Mets, Dodgers, and Yankees top MLB payroll rankings but are struggling mid-season.
• Injuries plague rosters: all three clubs lead in injured player days.
• Mets spent $326M but are just 1.5 games ahead in the NL East.
• Dodgers, with $326M payroll, are slumping at 5-13 since July 3.
• Yankees trail AL East leader Toronto by 5.5 games after a 22-28 skid.
• Trade deadline approaches Thursday as all three look to bolster depth.
• Big offseason additions: Soto (Mets), Sasaki and Snell (Dodgers), Bellinger and Fried (Yankees).
• Mets have used 13 starting pitchers, Dodgers 16, Yankees lost Judge, Cole, Schmidt.
• Mets eyeing upgrades at third base and center field.
• Yankees added Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario; payroll rises by $11.56M.
• Dodgers lead MLB with 1,495 injured list days.
• Phillies, with lowest IL days (214), are gaining ground in NL East.
• Seven of MLB’s top spenders are projected to pay luxury tax.
• Dodgers face record $151M tax, more than seven teams’ total payrolls.
• Owners debate salary cap amid growing disparity and calls for reform.

Deep Look

As the 2025 MLB season heads into its final stretch before the trade deadline, baseball’s wealthiest teams are finding that money doesn’t always buy momentum. The New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees, all with payrolls pushing or exceeding $300 million, are struggling to hold their footing in the standings — thanks largely to injuries, roster instability, and underwhelming mid-season performances.

The Mets opened 2025 with a league-leading $326 million payroll and looked primed for dominance after acquiring superstar Juan Soto from the Yankees in a jaw-dropping 15-year, $765 million deal. Despite that, the Mets are just 1.5 games ahead in the NL East and have gone 17-20 since mid-June. A carousel of injuries has forced them to use 13 different starting pitchers, with Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Tylor Megill, and Griffin Canning all missing significant time.

Manager Carlos Mendoza remains hopeful: “We’re not going to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves… Every team goes through adversity.”

The Dodgers, with a payroll just $200,000 behind the Mets, have endured a similar fate. Once considered World Series favorites after bringing in Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and others, the defending champs have slumped to a 5-13 record since July 3. Manager Dave Roberts lamented the mounting toll of injuries — 14 pitchers on the IL by June, and 16 starters used by midsummer. “Managing this hasn’t been easy, but we’re doing it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Yankees, who spent $294 million and bolstered their roster with Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, and Devin Williams, have seen their 7-game AL East lead dissolve. A 22-28 stretch dating back to late May has them trailing Toronto by 5.5 games. Aaron Judge is sidelined with a flexor issue, and ace Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil are all out, disrupting a once-elite pitching staff.

“It is in a lot of ways a game of survival,” said Yankees skipper Aaron Boone.

Injuries Mount, Depth Tested

Across all three teams, injury tallies tell a sobering story. According to MLB data:

• Dodgers: 1,495 total IL days (MLB-leading)
• Mets: 1,095 IL days (5th-most)
• Yankees: 1,022 IL days (6th-most)
  By contrast, the Philadelphia Phillies, trailing the Mets in the NL East, have logged just 214 IL days — the fewest in the league — giving them a strategic edge.

The Yankees have tried to stay aggressive at the deadline, recently adding Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario, raising their payroll and tax liability by $11.56 million. The Mets are eyeing a third baseman and center fielder, while the Dodgers are focused on stabilizing their bullpen.

Spending Doesn’t Guarantee Success

Despite struggles, all three clubs remain in playoff contention. But they represent a larger truth about today’s MLB: money dominates the standings. Of the six current division leaders, only two (Detroit and the Cubs) are outside the top seven in payroll.

As of Opening Day:

• Dodgers projected to owe a record $151 million in luxury tax — more than the entire payrolls of seven MLB teams.
• Mets and Yankees followed with $73 million and $52 million, respectively.

Mets owner Steve Cohen, once the face of MLB spending, now jokes: “I’m a piker compared to the Dodgers.”

Yet while big spenders dominate the postseason picture, history suggests that elite spending isn’t everything. In the last decade:

• Top 6 payroll teams won six World Series.
• Three champions ranked outside the top 10 in payroll — Atlanta (2021), Houston (2017), Kansas City (2015).
• Last year, all top 3 spenders reached the League Championship Series, alongside 25th-ranked Cleveland.

Salary Cap Debate Resurfaces

As these financial divides grow starker, calls for a salary cap have returned. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged the issue: “Payroll disparity is such a fact of life… we understand it has become a bigger problem.”

Owners backing a cap argue that a more balanced financial system is needed to preserve competitiveness across small- and mid-market teams. The current collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026, setting up a likely contentious showdown with the MLB Players Association, which is expected to fiercely resist any cap proposal.

For now, Cohen summed it up best: “I have the ability to spend if I have to. I want to win and I want to see that I can do it on the field.”

More on Sports

MLB’s Richest Teams MLB’s Richest Teams