The best record in baseball currently is held by Milwaukee with the leagues 23rd highest payroll at $115 million. The second best record is held by Detroit with the leagues 17th highest payroll at $143 million. What remains to be seen is how these two teams will fare in the post season, but at least on Labor Day 2025 they prove money does not always buy winning in MLB. Also of note the Pirates are not far behind Milwaukee at 26th highest payroll at $88 million. Total MLB payroll = $5 billion.