41k
9.6k

MLB - payroll (opening day) by team 2019

Opening day payrolls of Major League Baseball teams in 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)

by Christina Gough, last edited Aug 9, 2019
MLB - payroll (opening day) by team 2019 The opening day payroll of teams in the MLB is calculated by combining the base salary, incentives, and any signing bonuses. At the beginning of the 2019 season, the Boston Red Sox had the highest combined payroll in the league, amounting to over 213 million U.S. dollars. At the other end of the scale, the Miami Marlins had an opening day payroll of just under 63 million U.S. dollars.
Pitchers take home the money

The MLB has a minimum player salary in place to ensure that its professionals are rewarded for the work that they do. In 2019, the minimum salary for an MLB player was 555 thousand U.S. dollars per year, a significant increase from the minimum of 400 thousand U.S. dollars ten years earlier. However, the average player salary in the league in 2019 stood at 4.36 million U.S. dollars, almost eight times the value of the minimum salary. This figure is skewed by the fact that the top earners in baseball take home significant amounts of money. Typically, it is the pitchers within a baseball team that earn the biggest wages due to their integral role. Indeed, pitchers dominated the list of highest earning players in the MLB, with Stephen Strasburg topping the list. The pitcher for the Washington Nationals took home an eye-watering 38.33 million U.S. dollars in 2019.

MLB Luxury Tax

The San Francisco Giants top the league when it comes to average player salaries as each of their professionals took home an average of 7.38 million U.S. dollars in the 2018 season. However, to avoid such wealth disparity amongst the teams, Major League Baseball implements a luxury tax (or competitive balance tax). This tax is paid by any teams whose annual payroll exceeds the league limit which, in 2019, stood at 206 million U.S. dollars. In the 2018 season, a combined total of 14.34 million U.S. dollars was paid in Competitive Balance Tax by the teams of the MLB.
Show more

Opening day payrolls of Major League Baseball teams in 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)

Loading statistic...
Expand statistic
Total payroll in million U.S. dollars
Boston Red Sox213.19
Chicago Cubs208.2
New York Yankees206.41
Washington Nationals181.4
Houston Astros177.44
Philadelphia Phillies172.37
Los Angeles Angels167.46
New York Mets161.87
Los Angeles Dodgers152.86
St. Louis Cardinals150.37
Colorado Rockies149.34
San Francisco Giants138.03
Seattle Mariners135.8
Milwaukee Brewers130.39
Cincinnati Reds128.82
Minnesota Twins113.59
Atlanta Braves110.53
Arizona Diamondbacks107.58
Cleveland Indians107.35
Texas Rangers102.46
Oakland Athletics96.83
Chicago White Sox96.7
Detroit Tigers96.24
San Diego Padres94.43
Kansas City Royals83.08
Tampa Bay Rays68.98
Baltimore Orioles67.37
Toronto Blue Jays66.63
Pittsburgh Pirates65.92
Miami Marlins62.91
Total payroll in million U.S. dollars
Boston Red Sox213.19
Chicago Cubs208.2
New York Yankees206.41
Washington Nationals181.4
Houston Astros177.44
Philadelphia Phillies172.37
Los Angeles Angels167.46
New York Mets161.87
Los Angeles Dodgers152.86
St. Louis Cardinals150.37
Colorado Rockies149.34
San Francisco Giants138.03
Seattle Mariners135.8
Milwaukee Brewers130.39
Cincinnati Reds128.82
Minnesota Twins113.59
Atlanta Braves110.53
Arizona Diamondbacks107.58
Cleveland Indians107.35
Texas Rangers102.46
Oakland Athletics96.83
Chicago White Sox96.7
Detroit Tigers96.24
San Diego Padres94.43
Kansas City Royals83.08
Tampa Bay Rays68.98
Baltimore Orioles67.37
Toronto Blue Jays66.63
Pittsburgh Pirates65.92
Miami Marlins62.91

© Statista 2019

About this statistic

Show source

Download Settings Share
Download started
Please be patient - this may take a moment
by Christina Gough, last edited Aug 9, 2019
The opening day payroll of teams in the MLB is calculated by combining the base salary, incentives, and any signing bonuses. At the beginning of the 2019 season, the Boston Red Sox had the highest combined payroll in the league, amounting to over 213 million U.S. dollars. At the other end of the scale, the Miami Marlins had an opening day payroll of just under 63 million U.S. dollars.

Pitchers take home the money

The MLB has a minimum player salary in place to ensure that its professionals are rewarded for the work that they do. In 2019, the minimum salary for an MLB player was 555 thousand U.S. dollars per year, a significant increase from the minimum of 400 thousand U.S. dollars ten years earlier. However, the average player salary in the league in 2019 stood at 4.36 million U.S. dollars, almost eight times the value of the minimum salary. This figure is skewed by the fact that the top earners in baseball take home significant amounts of money. Typically, it is the pitchers within a baseball team that earn the biggest wages due to their integral role. Indeed, pitchers dominated the list of highest earning players in the MLB, with Stephen Strasburg topping the list. The pitcher for the Washington Nationals took home an eye-watering 38.33 million U.S. dollars in 2019.

MLB Luxury Tax

The San Francisco Giants top the league when it comes to average player salaries as each of their professionals took home an average of 7.38 million U.S. dollars in the 2018 season. However, to avoid such wealth disparity amongst the teams, Major League Baseball implements a luxury tax (or competitive balance tax). This tax is paid by any teams whose annual payroll exceeds the league limit which, in 2019, stood at 206 million U.S. dollars. In the 2018 season, a combined total of 14.34 million U.S. dollars was paid in Competitive Balance Tax by the teams of the MLB.
Show more
You need to log in to download this statistic
Register for free
Already a member?
Log in

Other statistics on the topic

Major League Baseball (MLB)
MLB: World Series championships won by team 1903-2018

Sports & Fitness

MLB: World Series championships won by team 1903-2018

Major League Baseball (MLB) minimum player salary 2003-2019

Sports & Fitness

Major League Baseball (MLB) minimum player salary 2003-2019

Average age of players in Major League Baseball by club 2019

Sports & Fitness

Average age of players in Major League Baseball by club 2019

Revenue of Major League Baseball teams 2018+

Sports & Fitness

Revenue of Major League Baseball teams 2018

Statista Accounts: Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year
Basic Account
Get to know the platform

You only have access to basic statistics.

Premium Account
Your perfect start with Statista
  • Instant access to 1m statistics
  • Download in XLS, PDF & PNG format
  • Detailed references

$49 / Month *

Corporate Account
Full access

Corporate solution including all features.

* All products require an annual contract.
   Prices do not include sales tax.
Leading companies trust Statista:
paypalgoogleadobepgsamsungtelekom
Related Studies: Available to Download in PDF or PPTX Format
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball

All Information
in one Presentation

Major League Baseball
  • 100 page/s
  • English
  • pptx
  • Detailed references

Everything On "Major League Baseball" in One Document: Edited and Divided into Handy Chapters. Including Detailed References.

Go to dossier
Other Reports & Dossiers
I think of Statista as Google for researchers. Statista provides you with the information you search for right away.
Dr. Horst Stipp

Dr. Horst Stipp
EVP, Research & Innovation, Advertising Research Foundation

Statistics on "Major League Baseball"
  • League financials
  • Brand & franchise value
  • TV & media
  • Participation & popularity
  • Game attendance & experience
  • Players & salaries
The most important statistics
Discover Statista
Need help with using Statista for your research? Tutorials and first steps
Further Content: Statistics, Studies, and Topic Pages
Statistics
Topics
Studies
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Do you have any questions about our business solutions?

We provide you with detailed information about our Corporate Account.

Menu