Major League Baseball's cheapest team is also among its hottest

The Marlins spend only $69 million on its roster in 2025, the lowest in MLB. Yet since June, they are outplaying big spenders like the Yankees and Mets.

After a loss to the Atlanta Braves on June 21, the Miami Marlins were 30-45, in last place in the National League East and 11 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the third and final wild card spot in the NL.

Entering Thursday, the Marlins are 58-62, now in third place in their division and only six games out of a wild card spot with 52 games left in their season.

That in and of itself is not remarkable, as teams get hot seemingly every summer in the majors. The Milwaukee Brewers, for example, have gone 51-16 since they were three games under .500 on May 24. But Miami was expected to be terrible this season.

The Marlins won 62 games last season, and FanDuel Sportsbook set their over-under win total before the season at 63.5 games. On top of all that, Miami is by far the cheapest team in MLB, spending only $69 million on its roster in 2025, the only team under $70 million. (The Marlins’ payroll is between one-fifth and one-sixth of what the Los Angeles Dodgers are paying their team this year and only $10 million more than the Golden State Warriors will pay Stephen Curry next season in the NBA.)

Despite the team’s paltry payroll, Miami outperformed many of the league’s highest spenders during its midseason turnaround.