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Pay for play Yankees top major league payrolls at $114,336,616
NEW YORK (AP) -- If the luxury tax had remained this year, it would have cost the New York Yankees at least $7.4 million more to win the World Series. The three-time champions would have owed $7,419,921 in luxury tax under the rules in effect for the 1999, according to figures distributed to general managers Wednesday at their meetings in Amelia Island, Fla. Los Angeles would have paid $4,259,176, the New York Mets $2,475,284, Boston $1,533,255 and Atlanta $688,384. From 1997-99, the teams with the five-highest payrolls had to pay a luxury tax, but it lapsed with the start of 2000, according to baseball's collective bargaining agreement. Baltimore paid the highest luxury tax during the three years it was in effect, $10,643,897, followed by the Yankees ($9,919,651), Los Angeles ($2,712,672), Boston ($2,205,960), Cleveland ($2,065,496), Atlanta ($1,795,582), the Mets ($1,137,992) and Florida ($139,607).
Many owners want the luxury tax renewed, and at higher levels, when a new labor contract is negotiated with players after the 2001 season. Using the rules in effect in 1999, the top five teams would have been taxed at 34 percent on the amount of their payrolls above $92,513,215 - the midpoint between the fifth- and sixth-highest payrolls. The luxury tax was designed to lessen the disparity between the high- and low-revenue teams. Commissioner Bud Selig is scheduled to testify about the disparity Nov. 21 during a U.S. Senate hearing. Using the average annual value of contracts for players on 40-man rosters, including $5.7 million per team in benefits, the Yankees had baseball's highest payroll at $114.3 million, followed by Los Angeles ($105.0 million), the Mets ($99.8 million), Boston ($97 million), Atlanta ($94.5 million) and Cleveland ($90,5 million). The five lowest payrolls were Minnesota ($23.5 million), Florida ($30.9 million), Kansas City ($31.8 million), Pittsburgh ($36.3 million) and Montreal ($39 million). In all, payrolls totaled $1,959,152,626, up from $1,463,828,701. Management's lawyers say ranking payrolls by average annual value of contracts is better than baseball's traditional method of accounting, which includes a player's salary, a prorated share of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income and bonuses. Under that traditional method, the average salary increased 13.8 percent this year to $1,789,556, according to the commissioner's officer, up from $1,572,329 last year. The median -- the point at which an equal total of players earn above and below -- increased $50,000 to $550,000. The figures include most performance bonuses but not any award bonuses. Final figures will be compiled in December or January. Part of the information given to general managers was which players with between between two and three years of major league service are eligible for salary arbitration. Atlanta left-hander John Rocker and Chicago Cubs right-hander Kerry Wood head the 19, a list that also includes Florida right-hander Manny Aybar, Atlanta catcher Paul Bako, Milwaukee catcher Henry Blanco, Philadelphia right-hander Chris Brock, Cincinnati first baseman Sean Casey, Texas infielder Frank Catalonotto, San Francisco outfielder Felipe Crespo, Arizona infielder Hanley Frias, Toronto designated hitter Brad Fullmer, Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, St. Louis catcher Eli Marrero, Florida infielder-outfielder Kevin Millar, Seattle right-hander Jose Paniagua, Cincinnati left-hander Dennys Reyes, Montreal right-hander Javier Vazquez Baltimore right-hander Jason Johnson and Pittsburgh infielder Enrique Wilson.
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