David vs. Goliath MLB playoffs won't prove anything about a salary cap — even if both sides will say they do

The league championship series feature the top payroll in baseball along with three ranked in the 20s I'd rather not keep discussing this, but it's impossible to escape salary cap discourse in Major League Baseball in 2026. The League Championship Series round is upon us, which is the last four teams standing and vying for the piece of metal that is the World Series trophy. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers are in the mix, along with three franchises on the opposite end. The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers are two of the five current MLB franchises with zero World Series titles in their history. The Cleveland Guardians technically have the longest drought, having not won a title since 1948 (when the Brewers and Rays didn't exist).

In terms of history, it is Davids vs. Goliath, and that's where the payroll numbers stand as well. Figures can vary based on loopholes and clever accounting (such as deferrals and back-loaded contracts). We'll use the competitive balance tax numbers from Major League Baseball. It seems like the number the league is taxing teams on is reasonable. Here are those payrolls, along with their ranking among the 30 MLB teams, for each of the final four in this season's playoffs. We could look at other places, as noted. The year-end 40-man