Tampa Bay Ranks 25th in Payroll at $98.3 Million… Milwaukee Return to World Series After 44 Years

Tampa Bay beat Milwaukee's opponent in Game 6 of the ALCS to reach the World Series. The two teams are ranked 25th and 19th in payroll. Game 1 is set for 9 a.m. KST on the 24th.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7–3 in Game 6 of the ALCS on the 19th local time to advance to the World Series.
Milwaukee, their opponent, swept the Dodgers in four games and will play in the World Series for the first time in 44 years, since 1982.
Game 1 is set for 9 a.m. KST on the 24th in Milwaukee. The two teams' payroll rankings are 25th and 19th.

In the U.S. on October 19, Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7–3. It was Game 6 of the ALCS (American League Championship Series). Milwaukee, which swept the Dodgers four days earlier, is the World Series opponent. In Korea, it was the 20th. The resulting matchup pairs payroll rankings of 25th and 19th.

AP reported that a World Series with both teams in the bottom half for player payroll spending is the first in 35 years since 1991. That figure, however, has not been cross-checked against any independent historical tally. In this article, 'low-budget' refers only to player payroll, not team operating costs.

Tampa Bay–Milwaukee World Series Matchup: ALCS Game 6 7–3, NLCS 4-Game Sweep

Players rush onto the mound and embrace at a night game ballpark, with a 7–3 score displayed on the scoreboard.

Tampa Bay, which clinched advancement with the ALCS Game 6 win / Photo: Wikimedia Commons (USA South Carolina location map.svg: Alexrk USA Georgia location map.svg: Alexrk2 USA Florida location map.svg: Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) USA Alabama location map.svg: Alexrk2 Compilation map: Magog the Ogre), CC BY 3.0

The game that clinched Tampa Bay's advancement was Game 6 of the ALCS, played on the 19th local time in the U.S. AP and the official MLB website both reported the 7–3 win in this game. Because the 19th local date is the 20th in Korea, domestic articles may show different dates.

Milwaukee clinched earlier. They finished the NLCS (National League Championship Series) with a 4-game sweep of the Dodgers on the 15th local time. Sportsnet reports that Milwaukee's return to the World Series comes 44 years since 1982.

World Series Payroll Comparison: Milwaukee $143.5 Million, Tampa Bay $98.3 Million

Stock photo, not an image of the specific people or game in this article — Stock photo · Not an actual scene of the people or game mentioned in the article / Photo: Pexels (Steve A Johnson)

Based on the MLB labor-relations data obtained by USA TODAY and cited in Yahoo Sports and AOL reports, Milwaukee's team payroll (total salaries) is $143.5 million, and Tampa Bay's is $98.3 million (as of an October 15, 2026 report; not a real-time figure). Subtracting $98.3 million from $143.5 million leaves $45.2 million. Milwaukee spent about 1.46 times as much as Tampa Bay.

LA Times Team Payroll Comparison in Descending Order (as published September 28, 2026)

Rank	Team	Payroll (millions of dollars)
18	Kansas City	149.8
19	Milwaukee	143.5
20	Cincinnati	128.3
24	Athletics	98.7
25	Tampa Bay	98.3
26	White Sox	98.0

The LA Times table published September 28 also lists the same rankings. Tampa Bay, ranked 25th, is just $0.4 million below the Athletics directly above it and $0.3 million above the White Sox directly below it. Milwaukee is 19th. It is $6.3 million less than 18th-place Kansas City and $15.2 million more than 20th-place Cincinnati.

Some Yahoo-published articles listed the two teams' rankings as '19th-lowest' and '25th-lowest,' meaning counted from the bottom. AP, by contrast, counted by highest spending. The LA Times table is also in descending order, so this article follows the AP basis. We did not obtain the original table released directly by MLB.

World Series Schedule: Game 1 in Milwaukee, October 24 at 9 a.m. KST

Game 1 is set for 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the 23rd in Milwaukee. In Korea, it is 9 a.m. on Saturday, the 24th. The series is reported to be best-of-7.

Ahead of the opening game, the focus is on the chance at a first title. According to AP, whichever team wins will claim its first championship in franchise history.

Tampa Bay ranks 25th in payroll and Milwaukee 19th. The National League champion, returning after 44 years, and the American League champion will contest their first title starting the morning of the 24th in Korea. Adding both teams' payrolls together gives $241.8 million.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is Tampa Bay's payroll ranking?

As of August 31, according to AP, Tampa Bay's team payroll ranks 25th in order of highest spending. The payroll figure is $98.3 million, based on an October 15 report citing MLB labor-relations data obtained by USA TODAY.

Q. What time is World Series Game 1 in Korea?

It is October 24 at 9 a.m. KST, which is October 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The venue is Milwaukee.

Q. How long has it been since Milwaukee last reached the World Series?

It has been 44 years since 1982. Milwaukee clinched its trip with a 4-game sweep of the Dodgers in the NLCS on October 15 local time.

Related Official Websites

MLB Official Postseason — Check the full World Series schedule and game results
Tampa Bay Rays Official Website — Team news and roster information
Milwaukee Brewers Official Website — Team news

Lead image · Stock photo · Not an on-site photo of the current game in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Bryan Green on Flickr (Original version) 佾珜 (Crop)), CC BY-SA 2.0