Payrolls and average salaries for the opening day rosters of the 30 major league teams. Figures were obtained by The Associated Press from management and player sources and include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses. In some cases, parts of salaries deferred without interest are discounted to reflect present-day values.
Team
Payroll
Average
N.Y. Yankees
$149,710,995
$5,346,821
N.Y. Mets
116,868,613
4,029,952
Los Angeles
105,897,619
4,072,985
Atlanta
104,622,210
3,874,897
Texas
104,526,470
3,484,216
Boston
96,631,677
3,578,951
Seattle
87,184,500
3,229,056
St. Louis
83,150,895
2,682,287
San Francisco
82,352,167
3,167,391
Chi. Cubs
80,743,333
2,883,690
Arizona
80,657,500
3,226,300
Anaheim
79,031,667
2,927,099
Philadelphia
70,780,000
2,440,690
Houston
70,489,840
2,711,148
Baltimore
69,452,275
2,394,906
Colorado
66,981,667
2,232,722
Cincinnati
56,979,777
2,034,992
Minnesota
55,605,000
2,138,654
Pittsburgh
54,542,098
1,947,932
Montreal
51,949,000
1,998,038
Toronto
51,279,000
1,899,222
Chi. White Sox
51,010,000
1,961,923
Oakland
50,360,833
1,936,955
Detroit
49,163,000
1,890,885
Cleveland
48,834,833
1,575,317
Florida
48,368,298
1,727,439
San Diego
45,430,000
1,514,333
Milwaukee
40,627,000
1,400,931
Kansas City
40,518,000
1,558,385
Tampa Bay
19,630,000
785,200
NEW YORK (AP) -- At $22 million this year, Texas Rangers
shortstop Alex Rodriguez makes more money than any other baseball
player. He makes more money than the entire Tampa Bay Devil Rays
team, too.
Pity the poor Devil Rays. Their skimpy payroll is even smaller
than the gap between the top-spending New York Yankees and
runner-up New York Mets.
A study of 2003 baseball salaries by The Associated Press turned
up those and other eye-popping revelations, including:
Baseball's average salary shot past $2.5 million for the first
time on Opening Day this week.
The Yankees spend nearly $150 million.
The Mets are No. 2 at $116.9 million.
Los Angeles, Atlanta and Texas also topped $100 million.
The Devil Rays, in comparison, are practically living on skid row with a 25-man roster costing $19.6 million.
Rodriguez, the youngest player to hit 300 homers, leads all
players in salary for the third straight year.
When it comes to teams, the Yankees are in a world of their own.
They've had the fattest payroll in the major leagues the last
four seasons -- and it got even fatter after their first-round loss
to Anaheim in the American League playoffs. That's when they went
shopping for more talent, landing Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui
and Cuban pitcher Jose Contreras.
"Regardless of who we signed or how much money we make, we have
to go out and play," said the highest-paid Yankee of them all at
$15.6 million, shortstop Derek Jeter, out at least a month with an
injured shoulder. "Our goal is to win regardless of what our
payroll is."
Yes, but the Yankees' deep pockets just might serve as an
impetus for other teams to get 'em where it counts -- on the field.
"It's actually nice to have a competitor like the Yankees
because it will be all the more satisfying when we beat them," Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said.
The Mets hope the addition of pitcher Tom Glavine, shelled in
his first start Monday, proves to be a stroke of genius come
October.
"You always want to spend or invest prudently, and we think we
have," owner Fred Wilpon said. "But there are no guarantees in
life. I really believe that we have a postseason team. That's what
this team was built for, and now we'll see."
Average salaries
The average baseball salary on Opening Day, based on salary studies by The Associated Press, and the percentage increase or decrease. Figures were obtained by The Associated Press from management and player sources and include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses. In some cases, parts of salaries deferred without interest are discounted to reflect present-day values.
Year
Average
Pct. Inc.
1989
$512,804
NA
1990
578,930
12.9
1991
891,188
53.9
1992
1,084,408
21.7
1993
1,120,254
3.3
1994
1,188,679
6.1
1995
1,071,029
(-9.9)
1996
1,176,967
9.9
1997
1,383,578
17.6
1998
1,441,406
4.2
1999
1,720,050
19.3
2000
1,988,034
15.6
2001
2,264,403
13.9
2002
2,383,235
5.2
2003
2,555,476
7.2
Overall, the average salary rose 7.2 percent to $2,555,476,
behind the NBA ($4.54 million) but ahead of the NHL ($1.64 million)
and the NFL ($1.25 million).
In a sign of baseball's economic slowdown, the number of players
making $1 million or more dropped to 385 from 413 last year and 425
in 2000. The median salary -- the point at which an equal amount of
players is above and below -- dropped to $800,000 from $900,000 at
the start of last season and $975,000 in 2000.
Baseball owners have cited the weak economy and the luxury tax
as reasons some teams lowered payroll. The drop in the median and
the decrease in millionaires could be a sign that much of this
year's rise is due to old multiyear contracts with built-in raises.
Figures for the study included salaries and prorated shares of
signing bonuses and other guaranteed income; for some players,
parts of salaries deferred without interest were discounted to
present-day value.
Anaheim followed its first World Series title by boosting its
payroll to $79 million, keeping all its key players. The Angels
began 2002 at $61.7 million.
Philadelphia, which moves into a new ballpark in 2004, made a
big payroll jump (from $58 million to $70.8 million), as did
division champions Minnesota and Oakland.
Cleveland dropped from $78.9 million at the start of last
season to $48.8 million; Toronto, Arizona, Boston and Milwaukee
also had big decreases.
