Payrolls drop for second straight year

[Frobby]

Despite the big contracts that got signed in the last three weeks, the average MLB salary is slightly down for the second straight year.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26361979/mlb-average-salary-track-2nd-straight-drop

[wildcard]

You're breaking my heart.  Average player makes 4.36m per year down from 4.45m two years ago.  How tragic.

[Matt]

 

5 minutes ago, wildcard said:

You're breaking my heart.  Average player makes 4.36m per year down from 4.45m two years ago.  How tragic.

That’s an extra 2.25 million in each owner’s pocket. I doubt they’re giving it to charity.

[Tx Oriole]

5 minutes ago, wildcard said:

You're breaking my heart.  Average player makes 4.36m per year down from 4.45m two years ago.  How tragic.

Sad that the average player only makes 4.36 million. Poor babies. Isn’t that something? Geez and they want more and more. Wonder how much the anchor around the neck of the O’s makes a year?

[Redskins Rick]

47 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Despite the big contracts that got signed in the last three weeks, the average MLB salary is slightly down for the second straight year.

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26361979/mlb-average-salary-track-2nd-straight-drop

With the Big 3 of the Dodgers, Yankees and Boston forced to drop under the luxury cap, it would make sense that would drive the average down some.

I dont think either is in a rush to get back to where they was.

Now, thrown in the Orioles and their payroll drop for now, I can see it affecting the average.

[BohKnowsBmore]

10 minutes ago, Matt said:

 

That’s an extra 2.25 million in each owner’s pocket. I doubt they’re giving it to charity.

So what is the key driver here?  I would be interested to know.  I'm sure it's some combination of the following, but wonder if any analysis has been performed to find out:

• Veteran contracts are lower across the board
• Albatross deals have come off the books for various teams and haven't been replaced 
• Arbitration awards have been systematically lower
• Greater mix of young players at the minimum on the roster

I would imagine that it's primarily #4, but don't have anything to back that up.  That 2.25MM delta (if we were to assume that it's even across teams, which it likely isn't) could easily be an analytics driven decision by each team to have a AAA/AAAA/R5 guy hold down the 25th spot, rather than a guy like AJ (coincidentally at a $3MM number).

This obviously represents a different conclusion than the apparent soft implication of collusion that often arises in these conversations.

[Tx Oriole]

5 minutes ago, Matt said:

 

That’s an extra 2.25 million in each owner’s pocket. I doubt they’re giving it to charity.

Maybe just maybe their business has employed many people. Just thinking about an average player like I guess Mancini makes that much. Just thinking how much things have changed. I remember hearing that Mays made 100 thousand a year. Yes that was 50 years ago. But to me those players then were heros of the game. Guys now no.

[BohKnowsBmore]

1 minute ago, Redskins Rick said:

With the Big 3 of the Dodgers, Yankees and Boston forced to drop under the luxury cap, it would make sense that would drive the average down some.

I dont think either is in a rush to get back to where they was.

Now, thrown in the Orioles and their payroll drop for now, I can see it affecting the average.

While I considered this point, I wonder if there is a team like the Orioles just about every season (cutting payroll to enter rebuild).  Also, it's not like the O's high payroll guys disappeared.  Manny got a raise, Britton got paid, Schoop is still making $10MM or so.

[Richmond Bird 9]

I think one of the big reason for the avg salary drop, is players like Adam Jones going from 17 mil a year to 3 mil a year. 

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

With the Big 3 of the Dodgers, Yankees and Boston forced to drop under the luxury cap, it would make sense that would drive the average down some.

I dont think either is in a rush to get back to where they was.

Now, thrown in the Orioles and their payroll drop for now, I can see it affecting the average.

?

[Redskins Rick]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

?

All 3 was over the threshold, and if they didnt get back under the threshold, they were all going to be hit with a 50% penalty and the penalty increased for every year they were over.

 

[Redskins Rick]

6 minutes ago, BohKnowsBmore said:

While I considered this point, I wonder if there is a team like the Orioles just about every season (cutting payroll to enter rebuild).  Also, it's not like the O's high payroll guys disappeared.  Manny got a raise, Britton got paid, Schoop is still making $10MM or so.

The Orioles payroll got cut in half, and true, most of those went elsewhere.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Redskins Rick said:

All 3 was over the threshold, and if they didnt get back under the threshold, they were all going to be hit with a 50% penalty and the penalty increased for every year they were over.

 

Did you not see what I bolded?

2019 threshold- 206M

Red Sox 2019 payroll- $226,330,000

[Redskins Rick]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Did you not see what I bolded?

2019 threshold- 206M

Red Sox 2019 payroll- $226,330,000

okay, thanks.

Dodgers are almost 9 million under, according to SPORTRAC and at 197 Million

and the Yankees are 25 million over.

So I was wrong on 2 out of 3.

 

[clapdiddy]

I think the thing we're seeing is the disparity between the superstars and the rest.  The big guys will see the big money, while the rest fight for the rest.   

There are a limited number of teams that can afford astronomical payrolls.   They can't sign EVERY player.