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

1998 Baseball Payrolls

This is a team-by-team payroll listings for the 1998 season. The league per-player average was $1,383,555 and the average team payroll was $40,691,972. You can also view figures for 1997 or 1999 and individual player salaries here. Other financial information is available for many seasons using the tool on the right.

1998 PAYROLLS 1998 PAYROLLS 1997/1999 RANK TEAM AVERAGE TOTAL 1 Baltimore Orioles  $2,761,464   $74,170,921  2 New York Yankees  $3,217,914   $73,963,698  3 Texas Rangers  $2,108,505   $62,755,368  4 Atlanta Braves  $2,007,665   $61,840,254  5 Los Angeles Dodgers  $1,763,528   $60,731,667  6 Boston Red Sox  $2,218,787   $59,547,000  7 New York Mets  $1,979,971   $58,660,665  8 Cleveland Indians  $1,888,369   $56,843,441  9 Anaheim Angels  $1,087,243   $54,189,000  10 San Diego Padres  $1,895,756   $53,081,166  11 Chicago Cubs  $1,731,924   $51,061,000  12 Houston Astros  $1,590,760   $48,354,000  13 Colorado Rockies  $1,743,621   $47,959,648  14 San Francisco Giants  $1,783,535   $47,939,715  15 St. Louis Cardinals  $1,648,114   $47,608,948  16 Seattle Mariners  $1,529,563   $44,860,014  17 Chicago White Sox  $1,436,537   $37,880,000  18 Toronto Blue Jays  $1,321,997   $37,618,500  19 Milwaukee Brewers  $1,034,708   $36,854,036  20 Kansas City Royals  $1,051,479   $35,610,000  21 Arizona Diamondbacks  $1,087,243   $32,814,500  22 Philadelphia Phillies  $968,160   $29,922,500  23 Tampa Bay Devil Rays  $848,117   $27,645,000  24 Detroit Tigers  $720,961   $23,318,980  25 Minnesota Twins  $957,035   $22,027,500  26 Cincinnati Reds  $763,206   $20,707,333  27 Florida Marlins  $462,381   $19,141,000  28 Oakland Athletics  $784,601   $18,585,114  29 Pittsburgh Pirates  $459,552   $13,695,000  30 Montreal Expos  $306,162   $8,317,500

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.