Why have we donned our linen cravats, tailored waistcoats, silk breeches, and stout woolen spatterdashes? We have done so because we are about to Talk Business.
Specifically we're going to provide the URL-clicker with each MLB club's Opening Day payroll for 2019. As a championship flourish, we're also going to rank these clubs according to Opening Day payroll for 2019. In addition to listing each team's payroll for the 40-man roster, we'll also list each team's current estimated payroll for purposes of the competitive balance tax (CBT), informally known as the luxury tax.
The CBT payroll is a different, higher figure because it averages the annual value of long-term contracts even if those contracts include deferred money and also includes things like player benefits costs and salary owed to players no longer on the 40-man. The CBT threshold for 2019 is $206 million, which means the Red Sox, Cubs and Yankees are estimated to be north of that figure to start the season.
1
Boston Red Sox
$213,188,334
$248,633,334
2
Chicago Cubs
$208,199,143
$225,199,143
3
New York Yankees
$206,407,750
$223,407,750
4
Washington Nationals
$181,400,409
$198,542,076
5
Houston Astros
$177,443,329
$194,443,329
6
Philadelphia Phillies
$172,374,782
$189,374,782
7
Los Angeles Angels
$167,456,465
$184,456,465
8
New York Mets
$161,865,003
$196,115,003
9
Los Angeles Dodgers
$152,863,333
$198,338,333
10
Cardinals
$150,367,083
$174,190,855
11
Colorado Rockies
$149,335,166
$166,335,166
12
San Francisco Giants
$138,030,231
$155,030,231
13
Seattle Mariners
$135,802,314
$154,810,378
14
Milwaukee Brewers
$130,389,362
$147,689,362
15
Cincinnati Reds
$128,815,238
$145,815,238
16
Minnesota Twins
$113,590,267
$136,540,267
17
Atlanta Braves
$110,530,000
$127,911,060
18
Arizona Diamondbacks
$107,584,167
$124,584,167
19
Cleveland Indians
$107,345,783
$124,345,783
20
Texas Rangers
$102,462,762
$129,462,762
21
Oakland Athletics
$96,825,833
$113,825,833
22
Chicago White Sox
$96,697,001
$113,697,001
23
Detroit Tigers
$96,243,400
$113,243,400
24
San Diego Padres
$94,429,433
$125,429,433
25
Kansas City Royals
$83,079,283
$100,079,283
26
Tampa Bay Rays
$68,976,867
$97,976,867
27
Baltimore Orioles
$67,371,100
$84,371,100
28
Toronto Blue Jays
$66,626,457
$118,614,314
29
Pittsburgh Pirates
$65,918,500
$82,918,500
30
Miami Marlins
$62,911,262
$81,120,952
(Data courtesy of the very excellent Spotrac.com.)
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