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

2003 Baseball Payrolls

This is a team-by-team payroll listings for the 2003 season. The league per-player average was $2,525,610 and the average team payroll was $69,719,877. You can also view figures for 2002 or 2004 and individual player salaries here. Other financial information is available for many seasons using the tool on the right.

2003 PAYROLLS 2003 PAYROLLS 2002/2004 RANK TEAM AVERAGE TOTAL 1 New York Yankees  $5,346,821   $149,710,995  2 New York Mets  $4,029,952   $116,868,613  3 Los Angeles Dodgers  $4,072,985   $105,897,609  4 Atlanta Braves  $3,874,897   $104,622,210  5 Texas Rangers  $3,484,216   $104,526,470  6 Boston Red Sox  $3,578,951   $96,631,677  7 Seattle Mariners  $3,229,056   $87,184,500  8 St. Louis Cardinals  $2,682,287   $83,150,895  9 San Francisco Giants  $3,167,391   $82,352,167  10 Chicago Cubs  $2,883,690   $80,743,333  11 Arizona Diamondbacks  $3,226,300   $80,657,500  12 Anaheim Angels  $2,927,099   $79,031,667  13 Philadelphia Phillies  $2,440,690   $70,780,000  14 Houston Astros  $2,711,148   $70,489,840  15 Baltimore Orioles  $2,394,906   $69,452,275  16 Colorado Rockies  $2,232,722   $66,981,667  17 Cincinnati Reds  $2,034,992   $56,979,777  18 Minnesota Twins  $2,138,654   $55,605,000  19 Pittsburgh Pirates  $1,947,932   $54,542,098  20 Montreal Expos  $1,998,038   $51,949,000  21 Toronto Blue Jays  $1,899,222   $51,279,000  22 Chicago White Sox  $1,961,923   $51,010,000  23 Oakland Athletics  $1,936,955   $50,360,833  24 Detroit Tigers  $1,890,885   $49,163,000  25 Cleveland Indians  $1,575,317   $48,834,833  26 Florida Marlins  $1,727,439   $48,368,298  27 San Diego Padres  $1,514,333   $45,430,000  28 Milwaukee Brewers  $1,400,931   $40,627,000  29 Kansas City Royals  $1,558,365   $40,518,000  30 Tampa Bay Devil Rays  $785,200   $19,630,000

Source: Associated Press April 3, 2003.

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.