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Each year, just before Christmas approaches, MLB releases the final end-of-year player payrolls for each of the 30 clubs for the prior season (see details for all 30 clubs for 2010). It gives a good view into how clubs spent down the stretch when payrolls reflect the 40-man rosters.
When looking at the numbers over time, it shows trends as to how revenue-sharing is influencing the major league payrolls of clubs at the low end of the revenue spectrum.
For the AL East, it shows more still.
Looking at data from 1999 to 2010, the gap between the top paying clubs (the Yankees #1 in every year of the study, and Red Sox #2, with the exception of 1999 when the Orioles claimed the spot), the gap between highest player payroll and lowest has grown considerably.
In 1999 the gap between the Yankees and the lowest (Rays) was $54,130,504. By 2010 that gap has grown to $141,821,775.
If that seems grossly out of whack, consider that it’s the largest gap over the same period. That distinction goes to 2007 when the Yankees fielded an end of year payroll of $218,311,394 and the Rays had a payroll for the same period of $31,817,020, a difference of $186,494,374.
THe reason? While the Yankees and Red Sox enjoy large storied fan bases, the main reason is the addition of YES Network for the Yankees in 2002. and NESN moving to basic cable in 2001. These two RSNs enjoy lucrative revenue streams for both clubs.
Below is a graph and supporting data for the AL East from 1999-2010
SELECT READ MORE TO SEE THE GRAPH AND DATA
| YEAR |
Yankees |
Red Sox |
Rays |
Blue Jays |
Orioles |
| 1999 |
$91,990,955 |
$72,330,656 |
$37,860,451 |
$48,847,300 |
$75,443,363 |
| 2000 |
$95,285,187 |
$75,525,525 |
$61,231,853 |
$54,518,816 |
$69,398,275 |
| 2001 |
$114,457,768 |
$114,331,641 |
$50,974,068 |
$74,274,440 |
$77,196,073 |
| 2002 |
$133,429,757 |
$110,249,535 |
$34,728,540 |
$66,814,971 |
$56,504,685 |
| 2003 |
$180,322,403 |
$104,873,607 |
$31,660,602 |
$61,175,638 |
$75,502,154 |
| 2004 |
$187,918,394 |
$130,395,386 |
$24,427,167 |
$50,651,626 |
$56,811,459 |
| 2005 |
$207,152,931 |
$116,640,070 |
$26,615,413 |
$45,698,000 |
$81,041,711 |
| 2006 |
$207,461,320 |
$137,497,097 |
$36,446,477 |
$72,439,018 |
$76,138,206 |
| 2007 |
$218,311,394 |
$155,402,595 |
$31,817,020 |
$95,069,351 |
$95,269,977 |
| 2008 |
$222,519,480 |
$147,075,645 |
$51,020,720 |
$98,343,520 |
$78,888,250 |
| 2009 |
$220,024,917 |
$140,454,683 |
$71,222,532 |
$84,130,513 |
$79,308,066 |
| 2010 |
$215,053,064 |
$170,650,856 |
$77,510,502 |
$86,803,549 |
$73,231,289 |
All figures published by The Associated Press. Final payrolls for the 30 major league teams, according to information received by clubs from the commissioner's office. Figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to reflect present-day values.
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to FanGraphs and Forbes SportsMoney. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
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