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

2004 Baseball Payrolls

This is a team-by-team payroll listings for the 2004 season. The league per-player average was $2,459,261 and the average team payroll was $67,903,151. You can also view figures for 2003 or 2005 and individual player salaries here. Other financial information is available for many seasons using the tool on the right.

2004 PAYROLLS 2004 PAYROLLS 2003/2005 RANK TEAM AVERAGE TOTAL 1 New York Yankees  $6,304,673   $182,835,513  2 Boston Red Sox  $4,173,618   $125,208,542  3 Anaheim Angels  $3,743,877   $101,084,667  4 New York Mets  $3,870,358   $100,629,303  5 Philadelphia Phillies  $3,452,562   $93,219,167  6 Chicago Cubs  $3,141,437   $91,101,667  7 Los Angeles Dodgers  $3,449,782   $89,694,342  8 Atlanta Braves  $3,160,992   $88,507,788  9 San Francisco Giants  $2,645,780   $82,019,167  10 Seattle Mariners  $2,912,280   $81,543,833  11 St. Louis Cardinals  $3,025,341   $75,633,517  12 Houston Astros  $2,986,652   $74,666,303  13 Arizona Diamondbacks  $2,420,862   $70,204,984  14 Chicago White Sox  $2,508,173   $65,212,500  15 Colorado Rockies  $2,306,800   $64,590,403  16 Oakland Athletics  $2,215,747   $59,825,167  17 Texas Rangers  $1,890,551   $54,825,973  18 San Diego Padres  $2,185,580   $54,639,503  19 Minnesota Twins  $2,060,962   $53,585,000  20 Baltimore Orioles  $1,829,023   $51,212,653  21 Toronto Blue Jays  $1,923,731   $50,017,000  22 Kansas City Royals  $1,586,967   $47,609,000  23 Detroit Tigers  $1,655,484   $46,353,554  24 Montreal Expos  $1,439,917   $43,197,500  25 Cincinnati Reds  $1,538,138   $43,067,858  26 Florida Marlins  $1,559,927   $42,118,042  27 Cleveland Indians  $1,152,310   $34,569,300  28 Pittsburgh Pirates  $1,193,627   $32,227,929  29 Tampa Bay Devil Rays  $1,092,840   $29,506,667  30 Milwaukee Brewers  $1,100,740   $27,518,500

Source: Associated Press April 7, 2004.

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.