MLB standings show low-payroll teams leading after two months

MLB standings released around Memorial Day show several low-payroll teams holding division leads after roughly two months of play. ESPN MLB experts reviewed current records and payroll data. The ten best teams by record carry a combined $1.89 billion payroll while the ten worst teams carry $1.90 billion.

Three of the ten best teams operate with payrolls below $100 million. One of the ten worst teams has a payroll below that threshold.

Standings context Data from the Elias Sports Bureau shows that 59 percent of teams in sole possession of first place on June 1 have won their division in the wild-card era since 1995, excluding 2020. Experts noted that several American League clubs remain within a few games of playoff positioning despite slow starts.

Performance trends One American League East team improved from a 12-11 record through April 21 to 22-5 since that date, allowing two or fewer runs in 17 of those 27 games. The same experts identified one American League Central team as the largest underperformer relative to preseason expectations after retaining and adding starting pitchers during the offseason.