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

2005 Baseball Payrolls

This is a team-by-team payroll listings for the 2005 season. The league per-player average was $3,056,414 and the average team payroll was $73,353,945. You can also view figures for 2004 or 2006 and individual player salaries here. Other financial information is available for many seasons using the tool on the right.

2005 PAYROLLS 2005 PAYROLLS 2004/2006 RANK TEAM AVERAGE TOTAL 1 New York Yankees  $8,679,451   $208,306,817  2 Boston Red Sox  $5,146,047   $123,505,125  3 New York Mets  $4,221,076   $101,305,821  4 Anaheim Angels  $4,071,888   $97,725,322  5 Philadelphia Phillies  $3,980,083   $95,522,000  6 St. Louis Cardinals  $3,837,785   $92,106,833  7 San Francisco Giants  $3,758,313   $90,199,500  8 Seattle Mariners  $3,656,431   $87,754,334  9 Chicago Cubs  $3,626,372   $87,032,933  10 Atlanta Braves  $3,602,388   $86,457,302  11 Los Angeles Dodgers  $3,459,958   $83,039,000  12 Houston Astros  $3,199,125   $76,779,000  13 Chicago White Sox  $3,132,417   $75,178,000  14 Baltimore Orioles  $3,079,764   $73,914,333  15 Detroit Tigers  $2,878,833   $69,092,000  16 San Diego Padres  $2,637,118   $63,290,833  17 Arizona Diamondbacks  $2,597,049   $62,329,166  18 Cincinnati Reds  $2,578,858   $61,892,583  19 Florida Marlins  $2,517,035   $60,408,834  20 Minnesota Twins  $2,341,083   $56,186,000  21 Texas Rangers  $2,327,042   $55,849,000  22 Oakland Athletics  $2,309,407   $55,425,762  23 Washington Nationals  $2,024,229   $48,581,500  24 Colorado Rockies  $2,006,458   $48,155,000  25 Toronto Blue Jays  $1,904,979   $45,719,500  26 Cleveland Indians  $1,729,271   $41,502,500  27 Milwaukee Brewers  $1,663,951   $39,934,833  28 Pittsburgh Pirates  $1,588,875   $38,133,000  29 Tampa Bay Devil Rays  $1,536,708   $36,881,000  30 Kansas City Royals  $1,236,628   $29,679,067

Source: USA Today Baseball Salaries Database.

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.