Strike Brings Decreased Pay In Big Leagues
The average salary in baseball declined nearly 10 percent following the players’ strike, but the drop was caused largely by expanded rosters.
A study released Saturday by The Associated Press showed the average was $1,073,582, a drop of 9.7 percent from the $1,188,679 average on opening day last season.
But following the strike, teams began this year with 28-man rosters instead of the usual 25. Most of the extra players earn the major league minimum of $109,000. Subtracting three players per team at the minimum raises the average to $1,173,498, a drop of just 1.3 percent.
“I had no real expectations,” union head Donald Fehr said Saturday. “I knew there were a lot of contracts kicking in at high numbers and that would tend to offset the reductions in the other areas.”
Only once since free agency has the average salary dropped for an entire season. In 1987, during the owners’ conspiracy against signing free agents, it dropped $86 to $412,454.
“Obviously,” acting commissioner Bud Selig said, “the clubs have made some adjustments to their losses and the economics of the past year, and in many clubs’ case the last two, three and four years.”
While many players took pay cuts following the strike, the rise in pay for top stars was dramatic. Cecil Fielder of the Detroit Tigers is the highest-paid player this season at $9,237,500, followed by Barry Bonds of San Francisco at $8,000,183 and Toronto pitcher David Cone at $8 million.
On opening day last year, Bobby Bonilla of the New York Mets had the highest salary at $6.3 million.
With veterans taking big cuts, led by Andre Dawson’s fall from $4.3 million to $500,000, the numbers of million-dollar players dropped dramatically. While 265 were at the $1 million mark or higher last year on opening day, 189 are there this year, with another 26 offered $1 million or more in arbitration and an additional seven asking for more than $1 million.
But the number of players at $4 million or higher jumped from 43 to 71, the number at $5 million or more doubled from 14 to 32 and the number at $6 million or more skyrocketed from one to 12.
Among the players earning $5 million or more, just one signed after the strike: Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros, who on Nov. 21 agreed to a $27.5 million, four-year deal.
The figures used include base salary and prorated shares of signing bonuses. They do not reflect the 11.1-percent reduction in base salary due to the strike, which cut this season from 162 games per team to 144.
Included were the 793 players on opening-day rosters and disabled lists who have agreed to contracts. For the 38 players remaining in salary arbitration, the midpoint between team and player figures was used.
The Toronto Blue Jays, who acquired Cone from Kansas City following the strike, have the highest payroll at $49,853,500, followed by the New York Yankees at $46,598,516 and the Atlanta Braves at $45,295,500.
Milwaukee, the team owned by Selig, has the lowest payroll at $15,273,600. Also under $20 million are Montreal at $15,710,833 and Pittsburgh at $17,672,000.
Toronto’s payroll is 56.6 percent higher than the average of $31,862,368. Milwaukee’s is just 49.1 percent of the average.
Payrolls, including the midpoints for players in arbitration, totaled $892,146,31. For rosters last Aug. 31, management’s Player Relations Committee calculated active payroll at $878,564,089. Termination pay for released players raised the total to $909,347,950.
Under the salary cap system owners implemented from Dec. 23-Feb. 5, 21 teams over their caps would have been forced to cut their payrolls $56.2 million. But owners rescinded the cap under pressure from the National Labor Relations Board.
Usually the average salary declines during the season as veterans are released and replaced by younger players. But it figures to rise this year because the rosters will go back to 25 on May 15. Following the 1990 lockout, expanded rosters also were used. The average was $578,930 on opening day that year and rose to $597,537 by the end of the season.
xxxx Top baseball salaries The 1995 salaries for the 32 major league baseball players making $5 million or more. Figures were obtained by The Associated Press from management and player sources. Figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses. For some players, parts of salaries deferred without interest are discounted to reflect present-day values. Figures do not reflect the 11.1-percent reduction in base salary due to the strike. Player, Club Salary 1, Cecil Fielder, Det $9,237,500 2, Barry Bonds, SF 8,000,183 3, David Cone, Tor 8,000,000 4, Joe Carter, Tor 7,500,000 (tie) Ken Griffey Jr., Sea 7,500,000 6, Frank Thomas, WSox 7,150,000 7, Mark McGwire, Oak 6,900,000 8, Jeff Bagwell, Hou 6,875,000 9, Cal Ripken Jr., Bal 6,871,671 10, Lenny Dykstra, Phi 6,200,000 (tie) Kirby Puckett, Min 6,200,000 (tie) Ruben Sierra, Oak 6,200,000 13, Jose Canseco, Bos 5,800,000 (tie) Matt Williams, SF 5,800,000 15, John Olerud, Tor 5,750,000 16, Barry Larkin, Cin 5,700,000 17, Roger Clemens, Bos 5,655,250 18, Will Clark, Tex 5,647,726 19, Gary Sheffield, Fla 5,625,000 20, Roberto Alomar, Tor 5,500,000 (tie) Greg Maddux, Atl 5,500,000 22, Juan Gonzalez, Tex 5,400,000 (tie) Jack McDowell, NYY 5,400,000 24, Bret Saberhagen, NYM 5,362,990 25, Bobby Bonilla, NYM 5,300,000 (tie) Danny Tartabull, NYY 5,300,000 27, Darren Daulton, Phi 5,250,000 28, David Justice, Atl 5,200,000 29, Jose Rijo, Cin 5,125,000 30, Robin Ventura, WSox 5,100,000 31, Doug Drabek, Hou 5,000,000 < (tie) Mark Langston, Cal 5,000,000