{"id":61712,"date":"2018-03-29T09:07:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T09:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=61712"},"modified":"2018-03-29T09:07:50","modified_gmt":"2018-03-29T09:07:50","slug":"mlb-salaries-2018-3-raise-average-major-leaguer-future-commitments-dipping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/mlb-salaries-2018-3-raise-average-major-leaguer-future-commitments-dipping.html","title":{"rendered":"MLB salaries 2018: A 3% raise for average major leaguer – but future commitments dipping"},"content":{"rendered":"

MLB salaries 2018: A 3% raise for average major leaguer – but future commitments dipping<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

The free-agent market was a dud this winter, leaving Major League Baseball players and their agents seething.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, baseball’s average salary compared to 2017 amounted to a cost-of-living bump, as it rose 3% – and the ramifications from this depressed market may only be beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n

In USA TODAY Sports’ annual survey of opening-day payrolls, the average salary this season is $4.61 million compared to $4.47 million last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

A record 130 players will earn at least $10 million, compared to 124 players a year ago and 107 players in 2016, led by Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout\u2019s $34.08 million salary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, only three players received contracts in excess of $100 million this winter, and just two players – Eric Hosmer ($144 million) of the San Diego Padres and Yu Darvish ($126 million) of the Chicago Cubs – received more than a five-year deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

And the owners’ unwillingness to spend this winter – for whatever reason – will have a greater impact in coming years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Teams spent $1.98 billion on 65 multi-year contracts this winter, compared to $2.98 billion on 57 deals a year ago, and $2.06 billion on 30 multi-year contracts in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just 10 teams managed to even spend the $50 million they received for their cut from the MLB Advanced Media sale to Disney, invoking anger from the union and threats of potential collusion grievances.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have to let this thing play out three to five years,\u2019\u2019 said ESPN analyst Alex Rodriguez, whose $275 million contract finally is cleared off the Yankees\u2019 books,\u201dto see where the chips lay. I just think teams are smarter and more disciplined with management and ownership.\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly, the marquee opening-day matchup of the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, two giants of the sport, with overflowing revenues, deep pockets and a burning desire to win, symbolize the angst of the players union.<\/span><\/p>\n

These franchises have six players who will earn $20 million or more this season, and 13 players earning at least $10 million. Yet, when it came to free agency this winter, the Yankees spent only $14 million in the free agent market while the Blue Jays paid $17 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, the Yankees took on a major commitment with their acquisition of slugger Giancarlo Stanton, Yet, who would ever have imagined we\u2019d see the day the Oakland Athletics ($18 million) would spend more than both franchises, dwarfing even the $4 million the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers spent?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a weird time,\u2019\u2019 Washington Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy said. \u201cI read a lot of articles about it, the collusion talk, the poor execution of the CBA, and all the things have been thrown out there. I don\u2019t have an answer. I\u2019m not in position to accuse anybody of anything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s obviously a reason why this year something dramatic happened in free agency that hadn\u2019t happened before. So, I think that\u2019s our job as the players, as well as MLB, to figure out what\u2019s going on here how we can right that.\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The Yankees and Dodgers, who had the two highest payrolls in baseball a year ago, have shed more than $100 million, with the Yankees now ranking just 10th in payroll ($160.7 million) and the Dodgers right behind at $156.8 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both the Yankees ($165 million) and Dodgers ($184 million) payrolls are higher when factoring salaries paid for players no longer on their roster. Yet, even when factoring benefits and salaries to players on the 40-man roster, both clubs remain below the $197 million luxury tax threshold, fulfilling key offseason goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

This will be the lowest Yankee payroll in a quarter-century, and the first time they’ve ducked below the luxury tax since it was implemented in 2003. They’ve paid $341 million in penalties since, but should they remain below the threshold, would pay just a 20% penalty instead of a 50% penalty next year, when a prized free-agent market headed by Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and possibly Clayton Kershaw comes online.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dodgers spent a record $270 million in 2015, but have lopped nearly $100 million off their major league commitments. And the downstream effect on free agents has been profound.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have 30 teams thinking the same way and using the same metrics,\u2019\u2019 Rodriguez says, \u201cit creates an opportunity for someone to counter that.\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter the San Francisco Giants. The Giants, for the first time since MLB began keeping official records, will have baseball\u2019s biggest payroll. Players on their opening-day roster will earn $220.3 million, $64 million more than they ever spent at the start of a season, with 10 players earning at least $13.5 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Giants\u2019 payroll, however includes infielder Pablo Sandoval\u2019s entire $19.6 million salary. The Boston Red Sox, who released Sandoval last year, are paying all but $545,000 of his salary.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Sandoval’s dollars factored in, Boston has the highest payroll at $224.2 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

The union\u2019s biggest concern, however, are the rebuilding teams who aren\u2019t aggressively trying to win. There\u2019s a growing sentiment among players and agents suggesting that a salary cap may be necessary in the future providing that there\u2019s a salary basement floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten teams are spending less than $100 million on their opening-day roster, with the A\u2019s ranking 30th in expenditures at $62.65 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis winter was a little crazy, and we got a glimpse at what can possibly happen,\u2019\u2019 says Machado, who is expected to be heavily pursued by the Yankees. \u201cHopefully, we\u2019ll see a difference next year, for all of our sakes.\u2019\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/columnist\/bob-nightengale\/2018\/03\/28\/mlb-salaries-2018-average-salary-payrolls\/466592002\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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