Dodgers-Yankees World Series matchup the more classic kind of ‘moneyball’

Oct 25

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Brent Jabbour (Senior Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor), Mohammed Ali (Motion Graphics Designer), Ali Caldwell (Motion Graphics Designer)

The 2024 World Series matchup is the more classic kind of “moneyball,” where two of the most gargantuan payrolls in Major League Baseball meet at the end of the playoff road. The Dodgers-Yankees matchup is between presumed league MVPs, the $700 million Shohei Ohtani and $360 million Aaron Judge.

Both teams sport three players with contracts above $300 million. On the Yankees’ side, it’s Judge, Giancarlo Stanton ($325 million) and Gerrit Cole ($324 million). On the Dodgers’ side, it’s Ohtani, Mookie Betts ($365 million) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million).

The money promised this year to these three players on each side of the Fall Classic combined for more than several teams’ entire annual payrolls, including two teams that made the playoffs (Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers) but fell short of making the World Series.

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The Yankees have the second-highest payroll in the major leagues this year, while the Dodgers have the fifth-highest. However, the Dodgers come with an asterisk after some creative accounting with baseball’s top star.

Ohtani’s contract is valid for 10 years totaling $700 million, with an annual payout of $70 million a year. However, he’s only pocketing $2 million a year during the length of the contract, choosing to defer $68 million annually to be paid after the contract expires.

If the Dodgers paid the actual $70 million value this year, they’d be sitting with a 2024 team payroll in line with the Yankees at around $309 million, according to payroll calculations by Spotrac.

To get to the World Series, the Dodgers beat the New York Mets, the team with the highest payroll in all of baseball at nearly $318 million. Meanwhile, the Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians with a payroll worth nearly triple what the Guards brought to the plate.

The Yankees punched their ticket to the World Series on a 2-out, 10th-inning, 3-run homer by Juan Soto. Soto is on a 1-year deal making $31 million. He’s the fourth highest-paid player on the Yankees roster, yet his salary is nearly double the Cleveland Guardians’ top-paid player, 6-time All-Star José Ramirez.

Soto already has a World Series ring with the Washington Nationals, which he won at age 21. Now 26, he has the chance for a second and a big payday to follow. Will the Yankees stretch the bank to keep him long term? Because of his age and propensity to hit it big when it counts, experts say Soto could be looking at a contract where the baseline is $500 million.

Dodgers versus Yankees is the most common matchup in World Series history. The blockbuster teams have met 11 times before, but the last matchup was 43 years ago.

From 1941 to 1981, the Yankees got the best of the Dodgers, 8-3. But what will this new generation of baseball bring?

The Dodgers’ highest-paid players are locked up into the 2030s, while the only Yankees player with a contract that deep is the face of the franchise, Aaron Judge.

Tags: baseball, MLB

Simone Del Rosario: It’s a more classic kind of “money ball,” one where two of the most gargantuan payrolls in Major League Baseball meet in the World Series.

Dodgers, meet Yankees – the matchup between presumed league MVPs, the $700 million man Shohei Ohtani and $360 million Aaron Judge.

Both teams sport three players with contracts above $300 mil.

The money promised to these three players this year on each side of the Fall Classic combine for more than several teams’ entire annual payrolls, including teams that made the playoffs but of course, fell short.

The Yankees have the second-highest payroll of the major leagues this year, while the Dodgers have the fifth.

However, the Dodgers come with an asterisk after some creative accounting with baseball’s top star.

Ohtani’s contract is 10 years, $700 million, $70 million a year. But he’s only pocketing $2 million a year during the length of the contract, deferring $68 million annually to be paid after the contract expires.

If the Dodgers paid the actual value per year, they’d be sitting with a payroll right in line with the Yanks.

To get to the World Series, the Dodgers beat the New York Mets, the team with the highest payroll in all of baseball.

Meanwhile, the Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians, with a payroll nearly triple what the Guards brought to the plate.

And how did they clinch? 10th inning, two outs, and Juan Soto hits a three-run bomb.

Soto’s on a 1-year deal making $31 million. He’s the 4th highest-paid player on the Yankees roster, yet his salary is nearly double the Cleveland Guardians’ top-paid player, 6x All-Star Jose Ramirez.

Soto already has a World Series ring with the Nationals, which he won at age 21. Now 26, he has the chance for a second, and a big payday to follow. Will the Yankees stretch the bank to keep him long-term? Because of his age and propensity to hit it big when it counts, experts say Soto could be looking at a contract where the baseline is $500 mil.

Dodgers vs. Yankees is the most common matchup in World Series history. They’ve met 11 times before, but the last matchup was 43 years ago.

From 1941 to 1981, the Yankees got the best of ’em, 8-3. But what will this new generation of baseball bring?

The Dodgers’ highest-paid players are locked up into the 2030s, while the only Yankees player with a contract that deep is the face of the franchise, Aaron Judge.