Powerball, Mega Millions Jackpots Enough To Pay For Some MLB Teams’ Payrolls

Can you smell it in the air? Well, you probably can’t, as we’re speaking metaphorically here at Lottery Geeks, but … can you? The freshly cut grass, the whiff of the leather of the glove, the unmistakable aroma of chewing tobacco being spit …

All right, that last one was pretty gross, but the point is, spring training is in full swing, and, as of the time of this writing, we are a mere 18 days away from the first pitch of the 2025 season. It’ll be in Tokyo between the Dodgers and Cubs, but still: Baseball! (The “official” opening day is March 27, which is the earliest official opening day ever, but when you consider Labor Day is Sept. 1, that means summer ends early and now we’re going to be depressed about that.)

Anyway, with the jackpots for both Mega Millions and Powerball creeping upward heading into the weekend, we thought this would be a fun day to see which MLB payrolls you could take care of if you were to win either lottery.

Leading off

Powerball is the bigger prize, with Saturday’s jackpot up to an estimated $272 million.

That’s good enough to pay this year’s New York Yankees roster, with a total payroll allocation just shy of that number, per Spotrac. That’s the fourth highest in MLB.

Of course, if we’re talking about the straight cash option, then we’re talking an estimated $124.4 million, which brings us all the way down to the 19th place St. Louis Cardinals.

At any rate, nobody won Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, which had winning numbers of 28, 48, 55, 60, 62, and a red Powerball of 20. There were also no Match 5 winners, and Lottery Geeks estimates 10.2 million tickets were sold for Wednesday’s drawing.

Batting second

Mega Millions is next at the plate, with an estimated $197 million drawing set for Friday night. And $197 million could buy you the roster of the San Diego Padres. Not too shabby.

When it comes to the cash option, we’re down to a paltry $91.9 million, which will get you last year’s AL Central winner, the Cleveland Guardians.

At any rate, nobody won Tuesday’s jackpot — numbers were 4, 8, 11, 32, 52, and a gold Mega Ball of 13 — but two ticket buyers (one in Georgia, one in Illinois) hit all five white balls and took home a million dollars each.

Lottery Geeks estimates 12.1 million tickets were sold for Tuesday’s drawing.

Play ball!

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California