Reds' spending gap with small-market rivals is getting downright humiliating

The Los Angeles Dodgers are ruining baseball has become a popular battlecry among many MLB fans of late, and there's certainly some validity in that notion. The Dodgers own the highest payroll in all of Major League Baseball and have proven time and time again that they're willing to pay millions upon millions of dollars in free agency for players that they believe can help them win.

That said, LA is one of the few franchises that actually spends more than 50% of their revenue and puts it back into the team. A graphic that's been making the rounds on social media recently revealed that only nine of 30 MLB organizations actually spend more than 50% of their revenue.

The Dodgers rank second behind the New York Mets, spending $549 million (73%) of their revenue. This number takes into Los Angeles' $399 million payroll and $150 million in luxury tax. The Cincinnati Reds, on the other hand, spent just 42.6% of their 2024 revenue ($325 million) on payroll ($139 million) in 2025.

The Dodgers weren't the only team who outspent the Reds in 2025

Now look, nobody in their right mind expects the Reds to outspend the Dodgers. While some fans will argue vociferously for MLB to adopt a salary cap, that seems unlikely, even with the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire in next winter.

What Reds fans, and baseball fans in general, should expect from their ownership group(s), however, is at least spending half of their revenue on the team's payroll. The Reds rank 21st in that category behind such teams as the Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and Colorado Rockies.

Interestingly enough, none of those teams spend more than 50% of their revenue either, but three of the four had a higher payroll than Cincinnati this past season. The O's spent over $40 million more than the Reds and finished in the AL East basement last season. Imagine where the Reds could've ended up had their ownership group spent an additional $40 million on player salaries in 2025.

Reds fans are hoping to see Bob Castellini and Cincinnati's ownership group spend more in 2026, but they're not holding their breath. Had the Reds spent 50% of their 2024 revenue in 2025, their payroll would've been $176 million — $37 million more than they actually spent last season.