The Brewers were MLB's best team in the regular season, winning a franchise-record 103 games, yet the betting odds and public sentiment say they enter the NLCS as underdogs.
Some of those feelings may just be apprehension from last October, when Milwaukee earned the top seed in the National League but was swept by the Dodgers on this very stage. There is another factor, too: the massive payroll gap between the two teams.
Payrolls don't win games, but talent often does in October, and there is no doubt the Dodgers are loaded with plenty of it.
Here's a look at the payroll gap between the Dodgers and Brewers as they meet in the NLCS for the second consecutive year.
MORE: Full Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS schedule
Dodgers payroll breakdown 2026
All contract data comes from Spotrac.
The Dodgers have a $339.3 million adjusted payroll this season, ranking second among all MLB teams behind only the Mets. Deferred payments help keep that figure as low as it is. Before adjustments, the Dodgers' 18 highest-paid players — listed below — would make $389.9 million alone.
Here's the full list of Dodgers making at least $5 million this season:
| Player | 2026 salary |
| Shohei Ohtani | $70 million |
| Blake Snell | $36.4 million |
| Kyle Tucker | $33 million |
| Tyler Glasnow | $32.5 million |
| Tarik Skubal | $32 million |
| Mookie Betts | $30 million |
| Freddie Freeman | $27 million |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | $20.3 million |
| Teoscar Hernandez | $19.7 million |
| Edwin Diaz | $17 million |
| Tanner Scott | $16 million |
| Will Smith | $16 million |
| Tommy Edman | $15.7 million |
| Blake Treinen | $13.5 million |
| Max Muncy | $12.3 million |
| Evan Phillips | $6.5 million |
| Kris Bubic | $6.2 million |
| Miguel Rojas | $5.5 million |
MORE: How incredible HR robbery helped Brewers reach NLCS
Brewers payroll breakdown 2026
The Brewers' 2026 payroll is $146.2 million, or about 43 percent of the Dodgers' payroll. Milwaukee has no deferred money on any contract, so the true payroll gap between the two franchises is even larger.
Here's a look at every Brewers player making at least $5 million this season:
| Player | 2026 salary |
| Christian Yelich | $26 million |
| Brandon Woodruff | $22 million |
| Dustin May | $12 million |
| Antonio Senzatela | $12 million |
| William Contreras | $9.5 million |
| Jackson Chourio | $7.3 million |
| Aaron Ashby | $5.7 million |
That's it. Only seven Brewers are making at least $5 million in 2026, and only four are making $10 million or more — a struggling Christian Yelich, an injured starter in Brandon Woodruff and two trade deadline acquisitions in Dustin May and Antonio Senzatela.
The Dodgers, by comparison, have 15 players making more than every Brewer other than Yelich and Woodruff.
MLB playoff payrolls 2026
| Team | 2026 payroll | MLB rank |
| Dodgers | $339.32 million | 2nd |
| Yankees | $308.34 million | 3rd |
| Phillies | $291.95 million | 4th |
| Braves | $263.46 million | 6th |
| Cubs | $249.32 million | 7th |
| Astros | $239.76 million | 8th |
| Padres | $226.25 million | 9th |
| Red Sox | $207.99 million | 10th |
| Brewers | $146.21 million | 19th |
| White Sox | $103.33 million | 24th |
| Rays | $95.62 million | 28th |
| Guardians | $74.46 million | 30th |
If you're looking for proof MLB is dominated by bigger markets, the postseason field is a mixed bag. On one hand, eight of the top 10 teams in terms of payroll made the postseason, with the Dodgers and their massive resource advantage in pursuit of a three-peat.
On the other hand, three of the four teams in the LCS are in the bottom half of all teams when it comes to payroll, including the Rays at No. 28, while the No. 1 team — the Mets — missed the postseason altogether, with the caveat that the Dodgers have a higher active roster payroll in 2026.
