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KBO Team Payroll vs Wins 2026: Top 10 Best-Value Clubs

KT Wiz won the 2026 pennant with 90 wins on the league's eighth-biggest top-40 payroll, while SSG, a top-three spender in every payroll count, finished sixth.

  • No. 1: KT Wiz
  • 8 places

01Final list

The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.

Order: from most to least AI agreement.

A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.

  1. 1

    KT Wiz

    Pennant with 90 wins and +176 runs on the 8th-biggest top-40 payroll (₩10.51bn, 2025 report). It beats its spending in every count, up from 6th in 2025.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 1 · ChatGPT: 1 · Gemini: 1 · MiMo: see list · Kimi: 1 · DeepSeek: 2

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 1

      They won 90 games, 25 more than in 2025, with the 4th-highest payroll (₩14.94bn), and finished first, 8 games clear of Samsung.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 1

      From 71 wins in 2025 to 90 in 2026: the championship-series berth came with a KRW 9.806 billion estimated domestic payroll, not the league's largest budget.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 1

      Maintained an upper-tier postseason berth while carrying an 8.5 to 9.2 billion KRW payroll that sits over 4.5 billion KRW below the league ceiling.

    • MiMo

      Named differently in its own list: open the full list.

      see list
    • Kimiplace 1

      The clearest moneyball flag: 90 wins and a +176 run difference from the No. 8 top-40 payroll table used as the latest complete salary-cap proxy.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 2

      Won the regular season with the fourth-largest payroll and the best run differential in the league (+136).

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  2. 2

    Samsung Lions

    83 wins and +137 runs, but the biggest top-40 payroll in the 2025 report (₩13.21bn), so it won about what it paid for. A 2026 estimate ranks its payroll only 5th.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 2 · ChatGPT: 3 · Gemini: 6 · MiMo: 5 · Kimi: 4 · DeepSeek: 3

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 2

      They won 83 games on the 3rd-highest payroll and also drew the most fans in the league, 1.71 million.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 3

      Eighty-three wins and a +137 run differential backed the league's first 1.7-million-fan club, despite a notably lower salary estimate than its 2025 reported pay.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 6

      Carried the league's heaviest domestic wage bill at over 13.5 billion KRW and secured 80 wins, delivering expected output but minimal financial surplus.

      Source ↗
    • MiMoplace 5

      Korea's biggest payroll delivered second place — but 1.717 million fans, a single-club KBO record, left only 11,190 empty seats all season.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 4

      Not cheap, but the best proof that expensive can still be sound: 83 wins, second place and the league's best crowd.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 3

      Second place on the fifth-largest payroll and the league's best run differential (+167), backed by a 99.4% full house.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  3. 3

    NC Dinos

    9th or 10th in payroll in every count (₩8.95bn, 2025 report), yet finished 8th, ahead of Hanwha and Kiwoom. Still down from 5th in 2025.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 5 · ChatGPT: 6 · Gemini: 2 · MiMo: see list · Kimi: 5 · DeepSeek: 4

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 5

      They had the league's smallest payroll (₩10.13bn) and still beat Hanwha and Kiwoom, which both spent more.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 6

      Only KRW 6.41 billion in estimated domestic-player pay bought 64 wins, but the three-place fall stops this from being a genuine breakout.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 2

      Spent just 8.95 billion KRW—the second lowest non-rookie outlay in baseball—yet generated 69 wins on exceptional domestic draft productivity.

      Source ↗
    • MiMo

      Named differently in its own list: open the full list.

      see list
    • Kimiplace 5

      The CBS No Cut News value pick a year ago still shows the shape: a sub-10-billion-won top-40 payroll proxy staying near the middle until the end.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 4

      Eighth place on the ninth-largest payroll — a small-budget club that stayed within a game of .500 until late and outdrew its market size.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  4. 4

    LG Twins

    2nd-biggest payroll in every count and 4th place. It won 78 games while being outscored by 3 runs, about 6 wins more than its run difference predicts.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 6 · ChatGPT: 5 · Gemini: 5 · MiMo: see list · Kimi: 6 · DeepSeek: 6

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 6

      The defending champions won 78 games, 7 fewer than in 2025, on the 2nd-highest payroll, and still finished 4th.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 5

      A 78-win club allowed three more runs than it scored, making its fourth-place finish a striking example of results exceeding run-differential expectations.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 5

      Converted their near-cap 13.2 billion KRW payroll into 81 wins and an October playoff showdown against Kia, matching dollars with elite run prevention.

      Source ↗
    • MiMo

      Named differently in its own list: open the full list.

      see list
    • Kimiplace 6

      The defending champions won 78 games while being outscored by three runs: excellent nerve, but not evidence of a efficient roster.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 6

      Fourth place on the second-largest payroll — a two-spot drop from spending rank, though they still drew 1.62 million fans.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  5. 5

    Kiwoom Heroes

    Last for a fourth year on by far the smallest payroll (₩4.40bn, a third of Samsung's). 50 wins, 3 more than in 2025, with a -252 run difference.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 8 · ChatGPT: 7 · Gemini: 10 · MiMo: 7 · Kimi: 7 · DeepSeek: 5

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 8

      Dead last with 50 wins, but 3 more wins than in 2025 on the 9th-highest payroll.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 7

      The smallest estimated payroll rose above its 2025 win total, but a staggering -252 run differential shows how much rebuilding remains.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 10

      Operated an austerity payroll under 6.0 billion KRW that proved too lean to survive 144 games, collapsing to a league-worst -125 run differential.

      Source ↗
    • MiMoplace 7

      ₩4.4bn of top-40 salary — 32% of Samsung's — then a record ₩1.6bn rookie deal for Ha Hyun-seung: last place on the field, first place in the draft room.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 7

      The cheapest top-40 payroll proxy still bought only a small moral victory: 50 wins, last place, but 3.4 wins above run difference.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 5

      Last place with the smallest payroll in the league, yet their 50 wins were about three more than their run difference predicted.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  6. 6

    Lotte Giants

    6th-biggest top-40 payroll and 7th place, so about what it paid for, with -63 runs. Busan still drew 19,161 a night.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 7 · ChatGPT: 8 · Gemini: 9 · MiMo: 9 · Kimi: 8 · DeepSeek: 8

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 7

      They won 64 games with the 8th-highest payroll, about what their spending predicts, while drawing over 1 million fans for a team in 7th place.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 8

      The league's third-most hits, 1,373, produced just 679 runs and a seventh-place finish, exposing the weakness of counting hits instead of productive offense.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 9

      Committed 12.21 billion KRW to domestic roster salaries but missed October baseball for another consecutive season amidst a -38 run differential.

      Source ↗
    • MiMoplace 9

      The 4th-biggest crowd in Korea (19,148 a night) watched the 7th-best team — the widest gap between gate and standing.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 8

      The Busan crowd kept showing up at a top-four rate while the team finished seventh; the night was better than the roster.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 8

      Seventh place on the seventh-largest payroll — the most neutral team in the league, with a -52 run difference and a 10% attendance drop.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  7. 7

    SSG Landers

    Biggest payroll in both 2026 estimates (3rd in the 2025 report), and it bought 65 wins, 6th place and a -91 run difference, 25 games behind KT.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 10 · ChatGPT: 9 · Gemini: 7 · MiMo: 10 · Kimi: 9 · DeepSeek: 9

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 10

      The league's biggest payroll (₩18.05bn) bought 65 wins and 6th place, 25 games behind KT.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 9

      An estimated KRW 11.573 billion domestic payroll and a -91 run differential delivered only sixth place: little evidence of efficient spending.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 7

      Invested 13.11 billion KRW in top-tier veteran salaries but underperformed a neutral Pythagorean projection by three full wins to finish on the playoff bubble.

      Source ↗
    • MiMoplace 10

      The third-biggest payroll in the league (₩13.11bn) bought the ninth-best run difference — and sixth place.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 9

      A near-top payroll proxy bought a .468 season and a three-place slide; the Incheon infrastructure deserved better baseball.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 9

      The league's largest payroll (124.7 billion won) finished sixth, 25 games behind first — the biggest money-to-wins gap in the KBO.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗
  8. 8

    Hanwha Eagles

    Fell from 2nd to 9th on the 4th-biggest top-40 payroll. It scored 821 runs (-14 difference) but won about 14 fewer games than expected, going 8-22 or 9-22 in one-run games.

    Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

    In their lists: Claude: 9 · ChatGPT: 10 · Gemini: 8 · MiMo: 6 · Kimi: 10 · DeepSeek: 10

    What each AI noted 6
    • Claudeplace 9

      From 83 wins and the Korean Series to 57 wins and 9th place, a 26-win drop, on a mid-table payroll.

      Source ↗
    • ChatGPTplace 10

      From 83 wins and second place to 57 wins and ninth, even 821 runs scored could not offset 835 allowed.

      Source ↗
    • Geminiplace 8

      Surged past 12.65 billion KRW in player commitments following marquee pitching signings, yet yielded only 66 wins despite sold-out home stands.

      Source ↗
    • MiMoplace 6

      A near-even run difference (-14) and ninth place: 8-22 in one-run games, the worst close-game record in the KBO.

      Source ↗
    • Kimiplace 10

      The biggest payroll-versus-record break: 821 runs and a top-four payroll proxy, but 57 wins and a seven-place collapse.

      Source ↗
    • DeepSeekplace 10

      Ninth place on the sixth-largest payroll, and the unluckiest team in the league: their run difference said they should have won about 12 more games.

      Source ↗
    6 AIs put it here
    Source ↗

More about the top three ↓

02More about the top three

The ranking is above. Here is more about the three places at the top: what they are, why they are here, and what is worth knowing.

Payroll figures use the 2025 report, while win totals are from 2026; the AIs also cite different payroll counts.

1KT Wiz

No. 1 — KT Wiz. On the lists of 6 of 6 AIs; median place there: 1. The AIs placed KT first for winning 90 games and producing a +176 run difference on the eighth-biggest top-40 payroll.

Did you know

  • KT's first league-best finish in 2021 ended level with Samsung, so the two played a one-game tiebreaker. KT won 1-0 on a sixth-inning RBI single by Kang Baek-ho. It was only the second tiebreaker in KBO history.

    Source ↗ ✓ confirmed by several AIs
What it is
KT won the 2026 pennant.
Its edge
It paired 90 wins with the eighth-biggest top-40 payroll.
Who should know
Useful for readers comparing 2026 results with reported payroll.
  • Top-40 payroll vs wins8th-biggest top-40 payroll

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • KT finished 6th in 2025, then won 90 games and finished 1st in 2026—a six-place rise that supports its value ranking. — (voice only)

    Source ↗

  • KT’s 2025 top-40 payroll was ₩10.51093 billion, below seven other clubs’ totals. Its 90 wins in 2026 came after spending well below the league’s biggest clubs. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • In 2021, KT and Samsung finished level, so the title came down to a tiebreaker. KT won 1-0, then swept the Korean Series for its first championship. — (voice only)

    Source ↗ ✓ confirmed by several AIs
Keep in mind

  • Even in a title-clinching win, the bullpen had a scare. With KT up 3-0 in the seventh, Oh Won-seok left the bases loaded with no outs, and Kim Jung-un had to come in and stop it.

    Source ↗
Where to go further

  • Start with the park's history: it opened in 1989, was expanded in 2013, and holds 20,000 fans. Read how it fits into the Suwon Sports Complex before you plan a game-day visit.

    Source ↗
Compare the top three ↓

2Samsung Lions

No. 2 — Samsung Lions. On the lists of 6 of 6 AIs; median place there: 3.5. The AIs placed Samsung near the top for finishing second with 83 wins despite the highest reported top-40 payroll.

2017 09 01 삼성 vs SK 굿바이 라이온킹 1 (5)
WiiWii · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know

  • Samsung won the Korean Series four years in a row, 2011 to 2014. That run is listed as the first four-straight streak in the Wikipedia team box, which gives its eight titles as 1985, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

    Source ↗
What it is
Samsung finished second in 2026.
Its edge
It won 83 games on the highest reported top-40 payroll.
Who should know
Useful for readers comparing wins with reported payroll.
  • Top-40 payroll vs winshighest 2025 top-40 payroll

Wikipedia · Wikidata

Why it is here

  • Samsung finished 2nd in 2026 with 83 wins, 7 wins behind KT’s 90. That strong record helps explain its place near the top of the ranking. — (voice only)

    Source ↗

  • Samsung had the highest 2025 top-40 payroll: 13.207 billion won. Its 2026 finish was 2nd, while lower-spending KT finished 1st. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • Samsung was one of the original six KBO teams. Its 1985 team won both halves of the split season, becoming champion without playing a Korean Series. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • Samsung drew 1,710,750 fans, the first of the 10 clubs to pass 1.7 million. Big crowds can hide how much the team spent to win. Note the page is AI-translated.

    Source ↗
Where to go further

  • Start with the stadium itself: it opened in 2016, holds 24,000 fans, and sits next to Suseong Alpha City Station on Daegu Metro Line 2. Notice the natural grass and the 3.6-metre outfield wall.

    Source ↗
Compare the top three ↓

3NC Dinos

No. 3 — NC Dinos. On the lists of 6 of 6 AIs; median place there: 5. The AIs placed NC third for finishing eighth while ranking near the bottom in payroll, though it fell from fifth the prior year.

Did you know

  • The Dinos are owned by NC Corporation, a video game developer. They joined the KBO in 2013 and first played at Masan Baseball Stadium, which opened in 1982 and was renovated in 2012 for the new club.

    Source ↗
What it is
NC finished eighth in 2026.
Its edge
It ranked near the bottom in payroll yet finished ahead of two clubs.
Who should know
Useful for readers tracking low-payroll clubs and their results.
  • Top-40 payroll vs wins9th or 10th in payroll
Why it is here

  • NC fell from 5th in 2025 to 8th in 2026, finishing with 64 wins. That drop helps explain why it ranks below KT and Samsung despite its lower payroll. — (voice only)

    Source ↗

  • NC’s 2025 top-40 payroll was 8.94777 billion won; only Kiwoom’s 4.39576 billion was lower. NC still finished 8th in 2026. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
History

  • When NC Dinos launched in 2011, critics doubted a game company could run a professional team. NC entered the regular season in 2013 and finished seventh among nine teams in its first year. — (voice only)

    Source ↗
Keep in mind

  • Late-game pitching was NC's problem. The team had 30 blown saves, and its bullpen ERA was 5.19 (7th). After trailing Doosan by two games, it lost eight straight and was eliminated.

    Source ↗
Where to go further

  • Start with the field: it has natural grass and 3.3 m outfield walls, and the fences sit 101 m from home plate down the lines. Changwon NC Park was built between 2016 and 2019 and seats 22,112.

    Source ↗
Compare the top three ↓

The top three side by side

KT WizSamsung LionsNC Dinos
In the AIs' lists6 / 66 / 66 / 6
Top-40 payroll vs wins8th-biggest top-40 payrollhighest 2025 top-40 payroll9th or 10th in payroll
Put first byClaude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Kimi——

Places with the same number of AIs are ordered by their average place in the AIs' own lists.

More ratings

03Worth knowing

What the AIs noticed while building the list.

Pay per win, using the 2025 top-40 report: about ₩117m per KT win, against ₩159m at Samsung, ₩169m at LG and ₩202m at SSG.

Noticed by:
Included it: MiMo. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Kimi, DeepSeek.
Source ↗

Hanwha scored the second-most runs (821) and allowed only 14 more than it scored, yet finished ninth. Its win total sat about 14 games below what its runs predicted, the widest gap in the league.

Noticed by:
Included it: ChatGPT, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek. Did not include: Claude, Gemini.
Source ↗

KT gained 19 wins on 2025 while Hanwha lost 26. Last year's table is a poor guide to this one.

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT. Did not include: Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.
Source ↗

The league's salary report counts only each club's top 40 domestic players, not foreign players or rookies, and the 2026 figures come out only in December 2026. Every payroll order here is either last year's or an estimate.

Noticed by:
Included it: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi. Did not include: DeepSeek.
Source ↗

Kiwoom's payroll was about a third of Samsung's, and the KBO answers with its first salary floor, ₩6.0654bn, from 2027.

Noticed by:
Included it: Gemini, MiMo. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Kimi, DeepSeek.
Source ↗

04How we counted

In plain words, no formulas.

1The question

Top 10 KBO Teams That Win More Than Their Payroll Says They Should

2Why this topic

It sets each club's spending and its run difference against the standings, so the reader can compare Kia and LG on something other than the final table.

3Where it applies

South Korea, KBO League, 2026 regular season

4What we looked at

  • Wins above what the club's payroll predicts
  • Run difference (runs scored minus runs allowed) set against the actual win-loss record
  • Final place in the standings set against home crowd size
  • Rise or fall compared with the 2025 season
  • Korea Baseball Organization: official 2026 standings and team records — Final wins, losses and draws, plus runs scored and allowed, for all ten clubs over 144 games
  • KBO top-40 salary-cap report (2025 season, released Dec. 18, 2025, via Yonhap) — Pay of each club's 40 highest-paid domestic players, not counting foreign players or rookies. This is last season's rep
  • Stoveleague 2026 salary-cap estimate — Estimated 2026 top-40 domestic pay per club as of Sept. 27. An estimate, not an audited figure
  • Salarysport KBO payrolls 2026 — Third-party estimate of each club's 2026 payroll, in won

5Who ranked

The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, MiMo, Kimi, DeepSeek.

6How the places were set

The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.

05Each AI's own list

🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    KT Wiz

    They won 90 games, 25 more than in 2025, with the 4th-highest payroll (₩14.94bn), and finished first, 8 games clear of Samsung.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Samsung Lions

    They won 83 games on the 3rd-highest payroll and also drew the most fans in the league, 1.71 million.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Kia Tigers

    They won 79 games with the 5th-highest payroll and finished 3rd, 12.5 games back, then went on to the playoffs against LG.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Doosan Bears

    They gained 12 wins on 2025 on a below-median payroll, and drew a franchise-record 1.51 million fans.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    NC Dinos

    They had the league's smallest payroll (₩10.13bn) and still beat Hanwha and Kiwoom, which both spent more.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    LG Twins

    The defending champions won 78 games, 7 fewer than in 2025, on the 2nd-highest payroll, and still finished 4th.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Lotte Giants

    They won 64 games with the 8th-highest payroll, about what their spending predicts, while drawing over 1 million fans for a team in 7th place.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Kiwoom Heroes

    Dead last with 50 wins, but 3 more wins than in 2025 on the 9th-highest payroll.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Hanwha Eagles

    From 83 wins and the Korean Series to 57 wins and 9th place, a 26-win drop, on a mid-table payroll.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    SSG Landers

    The league's biggest payroll (₩18.05bn) bought 65 wins and 6th place, 25 games behind KT.

    Source ↗

What Claude noticed

The three clubs with the biggest payrolls, SSG, LG and Samsung, finished 6th, 4th and 2nd. The club that won the pennant, KT, was 4th in payroll. Spending predicted the order only loosely.

Source ↗

KT won 25 more games than in 2025 (65 to 90), while Hanwha, runner-up in 2025, lost 26 (83 to 57). Those are the two biggest swings in the league.

Source ↗

The league drew a record 12,770,551 fans in 720 games, above 2025's 12,312,519, even though Hanwha and Lotte were down on last year.

Source ↗

The playoff round that opened on October 17 is Kia (3rd, 79 wins) against LG (4th, 78 wins), two clubs separated by one win on payrolls of ₩14.47bn and ₩17.65bn.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 ChatGPT10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by ChatGPT alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    KT Wiz — 2026

    From 71 wins in 2025 to 90 in 2026: the championship-series berth came with a KRW 9.806 billion estimated domestic payroll, not the league's largest budget.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    KIA Tigers — 2026

    A five-place rise, 45 home runs from Kim Do-yeong and a payroll estimate below KRW 8.2 billion make KIA the clearest challenger to KT for roster-building value.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Samsung Lions — 2026

    Eighty-three wins and a +137 run differential backed the league's first 1.7-million-fan club, despite a notably lower salary estimate than its 2025 reported pay.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Doosan Bears — 2026

    From ninth to fifth with the KBO's best 3.86 ERA: Doosan's pitching development did more than its offense to repair a difficult 2025.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    LG Twins — 2026

    A 78-win club allowed three more runs than it scored, making its fourth-place finish a striking example of results exceeding run-differential expectations.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    NC Dinos — 2026

    Only KRW 6.41 billion in estimated domestic-player pay bought 64 wins, but the three-place fall stops this from being a genuine breakout.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Kiwoom Heroes — 2026

    The smallest estimated payroll rose above its 2025 win total, but a staggering -252 run differential shows how much rebuilding remains.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Lotte Giants — 2026

    The league's third-most hits, 1,373, produced just 679 runs and a seventh-place finish, exposing the weakness of counting hits instead of productive offense.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    SSG Landers — 2026

    An estimated KRW 11.573 billion domestic payroll and a -91 run differential delivered only sixth place: little evidence of efficient spending.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Hanwha Eagles — 2026

    From 83 wins and second place to 57 wins and ninth, even 821 runs scored could not offset 835 allowed.

    Source ↗

What ChatGPT noticed

KT and Hanwha moved in opposite directions: KT gained 19 wins from 2025 while Hanwha lost 26. Together they explain why repeating last year's standings would badly misread 2026.

Source ↗

LG finished 13 games above .500 despite being outscored by three runs. Its 50 saves and 104 holds provide a possible explanation for its success in close games, although they do not prove causation.

Source ↗

KIA's climb from eighth to third came with 174 home runs, including 45 from Kim Do-yeong, and the league's highest team slugging percentage.

Source ↗

Samsung's 1,717,050 home spectators exceeded KT's 1,022,972 by 694,078, yet KT won seven more regular-season games. Crowd size and competitive efficiency tell different stories.

Source ↗
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 2 notes

The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    KT Wiz (2026)

    Maintained an upper-tier postseason berth while carrying an 8.5 to 9.2 billion KRW payroll that sits over 4.5 billion KRW below the league ceiling.

  2. 2
    NC Dinos (2026)

    Spent just 8.95 billion KRW—the second lowest non-rookie outlay in baseball—yet generated 69 wins on exceptional domestic draft productivity.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    KIA Tigers (2026)

    Finished 3rd to book a playoff date with LG after winning 9 of 16 head-to-head clashes while spending 1.2 billion KRW less than league-leading payrolls.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Doosan Bears (2026)

    Maintained an autumn postseason presence with a 10.55 billion KRW wage total that undercut local rival LG by more than 2.6 billion KRW.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    LG Twins (2026)

    Converted their near-cap 13.2 billion KRW payroll into 81 wins and an October playoff showdown against Kia, matching dollars with elite run prevention.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    Samsung Lions (2026)

    Carried the league's heaviest domestic wage bill at over 13.5 billion KRW and secured 80 wins, delivering expected output but minimal financial surplus.

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  7. 7
    SSG Landers (2026)

    Invested 13.11 billion KRW in top-tier veteran salaries but underperformed a neutral Pythagorean projection by three full wins to finish on the playoff bubble.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Hanwha Eagles (2026)

    Surged past 12.65 billion KRW in player commitments following marquee pitching signings, yet yielded only 66 wins despite sold-out home stands.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    Lotte Giants (2026)

    Committed 12.21 billion KRW to domestic roster salaries but missed October baseball for another consecutive season amidst a -38 run differential.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Kiwoom Heroes (2026)

    Operated an austerity payroll under 6.0 billion KRW that proved too lean to survive 144 games, collapsing to a league-worst -125 run differential.

    Source ↗

What Gemini noticed

The KBO salary cap mechanism covers only top-40 domestic contracts and excludes foreign imports and rookies, allowing clubs like LG and Samsung to add up to $4 million in elite foreign talent beyond domestic cap ceilings.

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Total KBO regular-season attendance shattered historic highs by soaring well past 10.8 million spectators, generating more than 200 billion KRW in ticketing revenue that cushions big payroll investments.

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🇨🇳 MiMo10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by MiMo alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    KTWiz (2026 KBO)

    The 8th-biggest top-40 payroll in Korea (₩10.51bn) bought the best record in it — about ₩117m of salary per win against ₩202m at SSG.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    DoosanBears (2026 KBO)

    The league's best pitching (3.86 ERA, 630 runs allowed) came on the 7th-largest payroll — and they out-scored everyone except the top two.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    KiaTigers (2026 KBO)

    Third place and a +105 run gap on the fifth-largest payroll — with a lineup whose 174 home runs nearly matched the league's best.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    NCDinos (2026 KBO)

    The 9th payroll out-won its money and won 20 one-run games — the joint third-most in the league — in its emptiest ballpark.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    SamsungLions (2026 KBO)

    Korea's biggest payroll delivered second place — but 1.717 million fans, a single-club KBO record, left only 11,190 empty seats all season.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    HanwhaEagles (2026 KBO)

    A near-even run difference (-14) and ninth place: 8-22 in one-run games, the worst close-game record in the KBO.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    KiwoomHeroes (2026 KBO)

    ₩4.4bn of top-40 salary — 32% of Samsung's — then a record ₩1.6bn rookie deal for Ha Hyun-seung: last place on the field, first place in the draft room.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    LGTwins (2026 KBO)

    Second-highest payroll, a negative run difference (-3), fourth place — and 22 one-run wins still carried the defending champions into the semifinal.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    LotteGiants (2026 KBO)

    The 4th-biggest crowd in Korea (19,148 a night) watched the 7th-best team — the widest gap between gate and standing.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    SSGLanders (2026 KBO)

    The third-biggest payroll in the league (₩13.11bn) bought the ninth-best run difference — and sixth place.

    Source ↗

What MiMo noticed

Moneyper win in 2026: about ₩117m of top-40 salary bought one KT win, versus ₩159m at Samsung, ₩169m at LG and ₩202m at SSG (computed from the KBO's payroll report and the final standings).

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Hanwhaare the statistical paradox of 2026: the second-most runs scored in the league (821) and a run difference of only -14, but ninth place — because they went 8-22 in one-run games, 14 wins below their Pythagorean expectation.

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Kiwoomspent one third of Samsung's payroll, finished last for a fourth straight year, and answered by giving an 18-year-old the richest rookie contract in league history (₩1.6bn) — which is why the KBO is introducing a ₩6.0654bn salary floor in 2027.

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Rankand crowd barely correlate: KT finished first with the eighth-largest home crowd (14,152 a night) while Lotte filled 19,148 seats a night and finished seventh; the league still broke its record with 12,770,551 fans and 345 sellouts.

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🇨🇳 Kimi10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by Kimi alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    KT Wiz

    The clearest moneyball flag: 90 wins and a +176 run difference from the No. 8 top-40 payroll table used as the latest complete salary-cap proxy.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    Doosan Bears

    A nine-to-five jump with only the No. 7 payroll proxy: the pitching table says contender, the standings finally agreed.

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Kia Tigers

    From eighth to third with a +105 run gap and a playoff date against LG; the rebuilt roster did not need a top-three payroll proxy to matter.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    Samsung Lions

    Not cheap, but the best proof that expensive can still be sound: 83 wins, second place and the league's best crowd.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    NC Dinos

    The CBS No Cut News value pick a year ago still shows the shape: a sub-10-billion-won top-40 payroll proxy staying near the middle until the end.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    LG Twins

    The defending champions won 78 games while being outscored by three runs: excellent nerve, but not evidence of a efficient roster.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Kiwoom Heroes

    The cheapest top-40 payroll proxy still bought only a small moral victory: 50 wins, last place, but 3.4 wins above run difference.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Lotte Giants

    The Busan crowd kept showing up at a top-four rate while the team finished seventh; the night was better than the roster.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    SSG Landers

    A near-top payroll proxy bought a .468 season and a three-place slide; the Incheon infrastructure deserved better baseball.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Hanwha Eagles

    The biggest payroll-versus-record break: 821 runs and a top-four payroll proxy, but 57 wins and a seven-place collapse.

    Source ↗

What Kimi noticed

KT are the ranking's clean case: the official table has them first at 90-49-5 with a +176 run difference, while the most recent complete KBO top-40 payroll table placed them eighth at 10.51093 billion won.

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The run-difference flag is sharpest at the bottom: Hanwha scored 821 runs, only 14 fewer than they allowed, yet finished 57-83; that is about 13.8 wins below a simple Pythagorean estimate, the largest negative break in the table.

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The payroll table fans argue over is not the whole roster: KBO's competitive-balance figure excludes foreign players and rookies, while separate opening-salary reporting counts all registered players and put 2026 league salary at 927 billion won with SSG, LG and Doosan as the top three total-salary clubs.

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Crowd size cuts both ways: Samsung paired second place with a league-best 1.71 million fans, while first-place KT drew only 14,408 per home game, the No. 8 crowd.

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🇨🇳 DeepSeek10 places · 4 notes

The same question, answered by DeepSeek alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.

  1. 1
    KIA Tigers (2026)

    Third place on the eighth-largest payroll — a five-spot jump over their spending rank, with a +87 run differential.

    Source ↗
  2. 2
    KT Wiz (2026)

    Won the regular season with the fourth-largest payroll and the best run differential in the league (+136).

    Source ↗
  3. 3
    Samsung Lions (2026)

    Second place on the fifth-largest payroll and the league's best run differential (+167), backed by a 99.4% full house.

    Source ↗
  4. 4
    NC Dinos (2026)

    Eighth place on the ninth-largest payroll — a small-budget club that stayed within a game of .500 until late and outdrew its market size.

    Source ↗
  5. 5
    Kiwoom Heroes (2026)

    Last place with the smallest payroll in the league, yet their 50 wins were about three more than their run difference predicted.

    Source ↗
  6. 6
    LG Twins (2026)

    Fourth place on the second-largest payroll — a two-spot drop from spending rank, though they still drew 1.62 million fans.

    Source ↗
  7. 7
    Doosan Bears (2026)

    Fifth place on the third-largest payroll — roughly where the money said they should be, with a modest +49 run difference.

    Source ↗
  8. 8
    Lotte Giants (2026)

    Seventh place on the seventh-largest payroll — the most neutral team in the league, with a -52 run difference and a 10% attendance drop.

    Source ↗
  9. 9
    SSG Landers (2026)

    The league's largest payroll (124.7 billion won) finished sixth, 25 games behind first — the biggest money-to-wins gap in the KBO.

    Source ↗
  10. 10
    Hanwha Eagles (2026)

    Ninth place on the sixth-largest payroll, and the unluckiest team in the league: their run difference said they should have won about 12 more games.

    Source ↗

What DeepSeek noticed

SSG spent 124.7 billion won — more than any other club — but finished with the same 33 wins as Kiwoom (49.1 billion won) as late as July 22, a 75.6 billion won gap for zero win difference.

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Hanwha scored 783 runs and allowed 797, a run difference that normally predicts a .492 win rate, but they actually won .407 — the widest luck gap in the league.

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KIA finished third despite the eighth-largest domestic payroll, while SSG finished sixth with the largest — a 75.6 billion won swing in spending that produced a 14-win gap in the standings.

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Samsung's 99.4% seat fill and 1.71 million fans were the largest crowd in the league, but the Lions finished second — the only team whose crowd rank was higher than its baseball rank.

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