It is raining money in baseball- the Los Angeles Dodgers has set a new record-setting opening-day payroll of USD 270 million. That increases the average salary to a new height- USD 4.2 million.
That marks a 6.3 percent increase in average salary over last year's USD 3.95 Million. In Major League Baseball, money is now available like never before.
The reason of such high rises?
The league's chief legal officer, Dan Halem said, "MLB's revenues have grown in recent years, with the increase in national and local broadcast rights fees being a primary contributor."
If the league earns more, players are going to get more. That is exactly what is happening in MLB.
But, how much do MLB players earn?
LA Dodgers' pitcher Clayton Kershaw earns a cool USD 31 million a year, the highest among all baseball stars. Detroit pitcher Justin Verlander comes second at USD 28 million,
LA's Zack Greinke (USD 27 million) and Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton (USD 25.4 million) follow the first two, according to News Australia.
But wait; there is something else more interesting to add here. Out of the record payroll the Dodgers are paying, nearly USD 44 million will go to players who have been released (i.e. - not in the team).
Who are the MLB's top-spending teams after LA?
The New York Yankees come second with USD 219 million payrolls. Boston (USD 175 million), and San Francisco (USD 173.2 million) follow NY, reports CBS Local.
"If you would have told me that one day I'd be making the type of money that I'm making now, I would told you that you're crazy and laughed at you," New York Mets captain David Wright said.
Wright is right; most of the highly-paid MLB players come from a middle-class background.
The lifestyles of players have changed, too. The average salary was approximately USD 50,000 in 1976, and the players engaged themselves in off-season jobs to stay affluent.
Now, they spend the money working out in the gym, being healthy and working hard to become a fit and wealthy player.
"The industry is doing very well," Carlos Beltran said. "The owners are making a lot of money and the salaries for the players are going up," Yankees outfielder Beltran added.
Here's the bigger picture: a record 508 players earn USD 1 million or more.
Base pay in baseball is getting records-breaking.