MLB Financials by Year

Payrolls by Year 1929 | 1933 | 1939 | 1943 | 1946 1950 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 1956 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 2005 | 2006 | Sources/More Info

1996 Baseball Payrolls

This is a team-by-team payroll listings for the 1996 season. The league per-player average was $1,110,455 and the average team payroll was $33,690,148. You can also view figures for 1995 or 1997 and individual player salaries here. Other financial information is available for many seasons using the tool on the right.

1996 PAYROLLS 1996 PAYROLLS 1995/1997 RANK TEAM AVERAGE TOTAL 1 New York Yankees  $1,882,417   $61,511,870  2 Baltimore Orioles  $1,689,670   $55,127,855  3 Atlanta Braves  $1,643,323   $53,797,000  4 Cleveland Indians  $1,646,741   $47,686,907  5 Chicago White Sox  $1,572,512   $44,827,833  6 Cincinnati Reds  $1,526,424   $43,696,946  7 Seattle Mariners  $1,371,062   $43,131,001  8 Colorado Rockies  $1,437,979   $41,108,990  9 Texas Rangers  $1,537,795   $41,080,028  10 St. Louis Cardinals  $1,531,063   $38,730,666  11 Boston Red Sox  $1,198,366   $38,516,402  12 Los Angeles Dodgers  $1,291,325   $37,313,500  13 San Francisco Giants  $1,132,634   $34,646,793  14 San Diego Padres  $1,244,644   $33,376,026  15 Chicago Cubs  $949,333   $32,605,000  16 Philadelphia Phillies  $794,108   $30,403,458  17 New York Mets  $858,282   $29,890,167  18 Houston Astros  $880,608   $29,613,000  19 Toronto Blue Jays  $1,052,655   $28,778,577  20 Florida Marlins  $842,729   $25,311,000  21 California Angels  $754,617   $25,140,142  22 Oakland Athletics  $688,910   $22,524,093  23 Minnesota Twins  $756,712   $21,254,000  24 Kansas City Royals  $666,918   $19,980,250  25 Detroit Tigers  $685,026   $17,955,500  26 Montreal Expos  $577,650   $17,264,500  27 Pittsburgh Pirates  $615,297   $16,994,160  28 Milwaukee Brewers  $420,320   $11,701,000

Sources: Associated Press Novemberm 8, 1999 and December 8, 1999.

Baseball Economics sources/bibliography:
Business of Baseball, The by Albert Powers
Baseball, Inc.: The National Pastime As Big Business by Frank P. Jozsa Jr.
Baseball and Billions: A Probing Look Inside the Big Business of Our National Pastime by Andrew Zimbalist
Built to Win: Inside Stories and Leadership Strategies from Baseball's Winningest GM by John Schuerholz
Free Agency and Competitive Balance in Baseball by Ronald W. Cox
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
Getting in the Game: Inside Baseball's Winter Meetings by Josh Lewin
State of Baseball Management: Decision-Making in the Best and Worst Teams, 1993-2003 by Scott Barzilla
In the Best Interests of Baseball? The Revolutionary Reign of Bud Selig by Andrew Zimbalist
May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy, by Andrew Zimbalist
The Inside Pitch ... and More: Baseball's Business and the Public Trust by Gene A. Budig
Early Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1825-1908 by Dean A. Sullivan.
Middle Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball, 1900-1948 by Dean A. Sullivan.
Late Innings: A Documentary History of Baseball 1945-1972 by Dean A. Sullivan
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.