The average MLB salary increased 1.5% to $4.98M on Opening Day, which is down from an 11.1% rise to $4.91M and a 6% increase in 2022 following the end of the spring training lockout, according to Ronald Blum of the AP. There were 532 MLB players -- 56% of the 947 players on Opening Day -- with salaries of $1M or more, "down from 546 last year." The Padres cut payroll by $96M in the past year, the Mets by $50M and Angels by $94M. They were among nine teams that “slashed spending in a tepid free-agent market that sparked player unrest.” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has cited a “cyclical market” and the “reticence of some teams to make commitments with uncertain revenue from regional sports networks.” Blum noted the biggest increases from the start of last year were by the Astros (up $44M), Cubs ($38M) and Orioles ($33M). The Mets at $306M “topped payrolls for the second straight season” and were followed by the Yankees ($303M), Dodgers ($250M), Phillies ($243M) and Astros ($237M) (AP, 4/8).
NEED FOR CUTS: In Minneapolis, Bobby Nightengale noted the Twins cut player payroll by more than $35M from last year and entered this season with the 20th-highest payroll in MLB at around $126M. Following a “two-year surge in payroll,” the Twins dropped their Opening Day figure below $130M for the first time since 2021. The last time the Twins carried an Opening Day payroll that ranked in the top half of the major leagues was 2012. The Twins cited the “uncertainty of their local TV contract as one reason for their payroll reduction during the winter” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/8).
