Baseball Average Salaries from 1998-2003
Average baseball salaries by club in 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998 as compiled by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Averages included prorated signing bonuses and discounts salaries deferred without interest.
Figures are sorted by 2003 average salary, highest to lowest. Figures highlighted in green indicate team appeared in the post-season. Percentages indicate year-over-year increase/decrease in salary.
Tons of analysis can be done on this chart. For example, Bud Selig's threat to contract two to four teams and the alleged collusion appears to have contracted salary growth tremendously. After three straight years of double-digit increases in salaries, including an obscene 17.4% in 2000, the increase between 2002 and 2003 was only 3.3%, with 15 teams shrinking their salaries... including the Yankees and Red Sox. Over the six-year period, the top ten average salary teams have appeared in the post-season at least once (Dodgers in 1998, Cubs in 2003 being the only singletons). Of the bottom ten, only seven post-season appearances — four by Oakland, two by Minnesota, and one by the newly crowned champions, the Florida Marlins. Twelve appearances from the middle-tier and the 2002 champion Angels.
Weigh in on these salary figures. I'd love to see people's analysis.
| Team | 6-Year Avg | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 |
| N.Y. Yankees | 3,770,377 | 4,687,002 | 4,902,777 | 3,930,334 | 3,656,542 | 3,215,660 | 2,229,945 |
| 18.4% | -4.4% | 24.7% | 7.5% | 13.7% | 44.2% | |
| Los Angeles | 3,113,512 | 4,212,418 | 3,396,961 | 3,755,511 | 3,141,883 | 2,410,773 | 1,763,528 |
| 23.1% | 24.0% | -9.5% | 19.5% | 30.3% | 36.7% | |
| Boston | 2,926,192 | 3,578,193 | 3,633,457 | 3,565,027 | 2,861,753 | 2,241,861 | 1,676,859 |
| 18.9% | -1.5% | 1.9% | 24.6% | 27.7% | 33.7% | |
| Atlanta | 2,869,267 | 3,465,626 | 3,166,233 | 2,956,695 | 3,127,992 | 2,491,388 | 2,007,665 |
| 12.1% | 9.5% | 7.1% | -5.5% | 25.6% | 24.1% | |
| Seattle | 2,434,541 | 3,440,751 | 3,337,435 | 2,769,003 | 2,075,165 | 1,455,330 | 1,529,563 |
| 20.8% | 3.1% | 20.5% | 33.4% | 42.6% | -4.9% | |
| N.Y. Mets | 2,767,715 | 3,140,295 | 3,192,482 | 2,998,090 | 3,115,549 | 2,199,903 | 1,959,971 |
| 10.0% | -1.6% | 6.5% | -3.8% | 41.6% | 12.2% | |
| San Francisco | 2,385,548 | 3,119,705 | 3,030,571 | 2,600,753 | 2,128,333 | 1,650,392 | 1,783,535 |
| 12.5% | 2.9% | 16.5% | 22.2% | 29.0% | -7.5% | |
| Chicago Cubs | 2,351,051 | 3,028,974 | 2,528,398 | 2,811,259 | 2,017,536 | 1,988,212 | 1,731,924 |
| 12.5% | 19.8% | -10.1% | 39.3% | 1.5% | 14.8% | |
| Texas | 2,516,995 | 2,775,518 | 3,123,803 | 2,397,688 | 1,870,723 | 2,825,735 | 2,108,505 |
| 5.3% | -11.1% | 30.3% | 28.2% | -33.8% | 34.0% | |
| Philadelphia | 1,652,884 | 2,754,112 | 2,086,812 | 1,766,070 | 1,386,510 | 955,639 | 968,160 |
| 30.7% | 32.0% | 18.2% | 27.4% | 45.1% | -1.3% | |
| Arizona | 2,463,226 | 2,691,938 | 3,199,608 | 2,701,205 | 2,828,909 | 2,270,453 | 1,087,243 |
| 24.6% | -15.9% | 18.5% | -4.5% | 24.6% | 108.8% | |
| St. Louis | 2,293,569 | 2,653,465 | 2,998,072 | 2,556,629 | 2,390,042 | 1,515,094 | 1,648,114 |
| 10.2% | -11.5% | 17.3% | 7.0% | 57.7% | -8.1% | |
| Chicago White Sox | 1,642,062 | 2,616,469 | 1,791,286 | 1,739,206 | 1,360,172 | 908,704 | 1,436,537 |
| 13.7% | 46.1% | 3.0% | 27.9% | 49.7% | -36.7% | |
| Anaheim | 1,832,497 | 2,496,220 | 2,160,054 | 1,726,087 | 1,619,719 | 1,519,745 | 1,473,155 |
| 11.6% | 15.6% | 25.1% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 3.2% | |
| Houston | 2,037,882 | 2,413,066 | 2,449,680 | 2,442,357 | 1,625,136 | 1,706,294 | 1,590,760 |
| 8.6% | -1.5% | 0.3% | 50.3% | -4.8% | 7.3% | |
| Minnesota | 1,148,569 | 2,125,360 | 1,430,068 | 1,128,470 | 601,680 | 648,800 | 957,035 |
| 20.3% | 48.6% | 26.7% | 87.6% | -7.3% | -32.2% | |
| Colorado | 1,877,149 | 2,016,478 | 1,848,858 | 1,940,255 | 1,734,529 | 1,979,154 | 1,743,621 |
| 2.6% | 9.1% | -4.7% | 11.9% | -12.4% | 13.5% | |
| Baltimore | 2,226,409 | 1,939,440 | 1,855,318 | 2,151,758 | 2,131,260 | 2,519,213 | 2,761,464 |
| -5.0% | 4.5% | -13.8% | 1.0% | -15.4% | -8.8% | |
| Florida | 1,083,415 | 1,908,291 | 1,506,567 | 1,214,934 | 847,208 | 561,111 | 462,381 |
| 52.1% | 26.7% | 24.0% | 43.4% | 51.0% | 21.4% | |
| Oakland | 1,283,418 | 1,889,685 | 1,746,264 | 1,310,084 | 1,156,925 | 812,949 | 784,601 |
| 23.5% | 8.2% | 33.3% | 13.2% | 42.3% | 3.6% | |
| San Diego | 1,573,744 | 1,786,434 | 1,292,744 | 1,243,603 | 1,603,601 | 1,620,328 | 1,895,756 |
| -1.0% | 38.2% | 4.0% | -22.4% | -1.0% | -14.5% | |
| Montreal | 973,580 | 1,771,964 | 1,497,309 | 926,333 | 767,420 | 572,290 | 306,162 |
| 79.8% | 18.3% | 61.6% | 20.7% | 34.1% | 86.9% | |
| Kansas City | 1,216,320 | 1,766,897 | 1,832,594 | 1,314,246 | 798,242 | 534,460 | 1,051,479 |
| 11.3% | -3.6% | 39.4% | 64.6% | 49.4% | -49.2% | |
| Toronto | 1,822,808 | 1,753,943 | 1,868,356 | 2,423,486 | 1,984,039 | 1,585,029 | 1,321,997 |
| 5.4%; | -6.1% | -22.9% | 22.1% | 25.2% | 19.9% | |
| Detroit | 1,416,236 | 1,478,864 | 1,562,847 | 1,583,263 | 1,980,411 | 1,171,069 | 720,961 |
| 17.5% | -5.4% | -1.3% | -20.1% | 69.1% | 62.4% | |
| Cleveland | 2,261,562 | 1,434,747 | 2,106,591 | 3,256,952 | 2,707,783 | 2,174,932 | 1,888,369 |
| -4.0% | -31.9% | -35.3% | 20.3% | 24.5% | 15.2% | |
| Cincinnati | 1,300,982 | 1,261,634 | 1,658,363 | 1,358,813 | 1,298,459 | 1,465,418 | 763,206 |
| 10.9% | -23.9% | 22.0% | 4.6% | -11.4% | 92.0% | |
| Pittsburgh | 999,901 | 1,159,132 | 1,370,088 | 1,291,870 | 1,004,335 | 714,430 | 459,552 |
| 25.4% | -15.4% | 6.1% | 28.6% | 40.6% | 55.5% | |
| Milwaukee | 1,194,109 | 1,153,912 | 1,338,991 | 1,275,571 | 927,610 | 1,433,861 | 1,034,708 |
| 1.9% | -13.8% | 5.0% | 37.5% | -35.3% | 38.6% | |
| Tampa Bay | 1,156,045 | 776,775 | 1,131,474 | 1,130,330 | 1,915,275 | 1,134,301 | 848,117 |
| -1.4% | -31.3% | 0.1% | -41.0% | 68.9% | 33.7% | |
| Average | 1,953,052 | 2,376,577 | 2,301,469 | 2,142,196 | 1,888,825 | 1,609,418 | 1,399,829 |
| Average Annual Increase | 11.6% | 3.3% | 7.4% | 13.4% | 17.4% | 15% | |
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