Rays open season with record payroll, but still in bottom tier of MLB

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg approved the final increases and cited the $6.25M deal for P Phil Maton "as a separator"Getty Images

The Rays opened their season Thursday at “record payroll heights” with $96,568,667 on the books, a roughly a 35% increase over the team's $71,455,266 payroll from 2023, according to Marc Topkin of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The jump is among the “largest year-over-year hikes in the majors, though still among the bottom five to six (depending on the accounting methods) totals.” Owner Stuart Sternberg said they “weren’t shy about our payroll. For us, it’s a big deal.” Sternberg approved the final increases, though he said several weeks ago the "expanded payroll would lead to 'real losses.'" Thursday, he cited the $6.25M deal for P Phil Maton "as a separator." To Rays President Erik Neander, that was "another example of the freedom Sternberg provides as they use a multi-year rolling budget in determining payroll, allowing for some savings and borrowing ahead" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/31).