The New York Mets started out the 2023 season with plenty of promise; by August, they’d opted to lay the groundwork for a large-scale rebuild instead. By season’s end, they’d finished fourth in the NL East. As 2023 itself comes to a close, however, the Mets have found themselves at the top of one MLB category — and to a record-setting extent at that.
That’s the good news; the bad news is that they’ve set a new record for the league’s Competitive Balance Tax, otherwise known as MLB’s luxury tax.
As the Associated Press reports (via The Guardian), the Mets are set to pay $100,781,932 for going over the league’s salary cap. The previous record, the AP reports, was set by the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers, who had to pay just over $43 million.
Major League Baseball’s payroll threshold for the 2023 season was $233 million. As for the Mets, they went considerably over that amount, with the Associated Press citing a figure of $374.7 million for the season. If it’s any consolation to the Mets — and I’m not sure it is — they’re far from alone in this. While the Mets set an individual team record for the luxury tax, the combined luxury tax payments for the 2023 season also managed to set a new record.
MLB Strikes Out in Bid to Bring America’s Pastime to Paris
MLB wanted to play regular-season games in France in 2025Mark Polishuk at MLB Trade Rumors reports that eight MLB teams combined to pay a record-setting luxury tax penalty of $209.8 million. The other seven teams paying the tax this season were the Padres, Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, Blue Jays, Braves and Rangers.
More Like This
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
