Seoul: The Samsung Lions led South Korean baseball in payroll for the 2025 season, with all 10 clubs in the league remaining under the salary cap.

According to Yonhap News Agency, data released by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Thursday indicated that the Lions topped all teams with a payroll surpassing 13.2 billion won (US$8.9 million). The KBO introduced the salary cap in the 2023 season to foster more competitive balance, and for 2025, the cap was set just over 13.7 billion won.

The payroll encompasses the annual salaries for the 40 highest-paid players on each team, excluding rookies who earn a league minimum of 30 million won, and foreign players, who are compensated in U.S. dollars. The Lions concluded the regular season in fourth place and advanced to the penultimate stage of the postseason in October.

The LG Twins, boasting the best regular-season record and securing the Korean Series title, ranked second in payroll with slightly more than 13.1 billion won. In contrast, the Kiwoom Heroes, who finished at the bottom of the standings, spent the least on player salaries, with their payroll just under 4.4 billion won. The Heroes and the NC Dinos (8.9 billion won) were the only two teams with payrolls under 10 billion won.

Looking ahead, the salary cap will increase by 5 percent annually from 2026 to 2028, reaching 14.4 billion won next year, 15.1 billion won in 2027, and 15.9 billion won in 2028. Additionally, the KBO plans to introduce a salary floor in 2027 to prevent teams from reducing player wages excessively. The initial floor will be set at 6.06 billion won in 2027 and will increase by 5 percent each subsequent year.