South Korea will face a Dominican Republic team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic quarterfinals whose total payroll is seven times larger—a classic David versus Goliath matchup.
According to the Korea Baseball Organization and Baseball Reference, the 30-man Korean roster carries a combined salary of approximately 61.65 billion won ($44 million). The Dominican squad, stacked with MLB All-Star caliber players, commands $287.17 million (424.9 billion won) across 28 players—6.9 times Korea's total.
Juan Soto of the New York Mets alone earns 76.6 billion won ($55 million), exceeding the entire Korean team's combined payroll. Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets in 2024.
Korea's highest-paid player is Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants at 33.8 billion won ($24 million), accounting for more than half of the Korean roster's total salary. Among KBO league players, Ko Young-pyo of the KT Wiz leads at 2.6 billion won, followed by Ryu Hyun-jin at 2.1 billion won and Noh Si-hwan at 1 billion won, both of the Hanwha Eagles.