The L.A. Dodgers will end a 15-year payroll title to the New York Yankees this year, according to ESPN. With a projected $235 million payroll, the Dodgers top New York by nearly $30 million.
New York, which last failed to top the payroll rankings in 1998, was a distant second at $204 million. After that, it was another huge gap to Philadelphia at $180 million, followed by Boston at $163 million and Detroit at $162 million.
Houston is last at $45 million, up from $27 million at the start of last year, and Miami at $48 million remains 29th.
Part of the reason for the Dodgers higher payroll is due to the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez. A-rod will only earn $2,868,852 of his $25 million salary (21 days pay of the 183-day season) after being suspended for for violations of baseball’s drug agreement.
[ESPN]