AP study: MLB average salary hits a record $5.34M as the Mets lead spending again

New York Mets' Juan Soto, right, hits a single during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) 2026-04-09T13:01:18Z NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 3.4% on opening day to a record $5.34 million, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the New York Mets topped spending at the season’s start for the fourth straight year. Mets outfielder Juan Soto is the highest-paid player for the second consecutive season at $61.9 million and was followed by New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger at $42.5 million. Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler and Mets third baseman Bo Bichette tied for third at $42 million. Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was fifth at $40.2 million, just ahead of Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge at $40 million. The Mets’ payroll of $352.2 million was just below the record $355.4 million they set in 2023 and up from $322.6 million last year . The Mets’ total is more than five times that of Cleveland, the lowest-spending team at $62.3 million. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers were second at $316.6 million, down from $319.5 million last year. The Dodgers’ total would be $395.2 million if deals for nine players with deferred money had not been discounted to present-day value. The Mets have deals with deferred money with just three players and their total would be $360 million without discounting. MLB’s average of $5,335,966 increased from $5,160,245 at the start of last season and has risen 28% under the five-year collective bargaining agreement that expires in December, an average of 5.6% annually. /* Desktop-first: fully collapse by default */ #ap-readmore-embed { display: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; height: 0; min-height: 0; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; position: relative; z-index: 2; } /* Only show on mobile */ @media (max-width: 767px) { #ap-readmore-embed { display: block; margin: 28px 0; height: auto; overflow: visible; } } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn { appearance: none; -webkit-appearance: none; border: 0; background: #000; color: #fff; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; gap: 10px; padding: 14px 22px; border-radius: 999px; font-family: inherit, "AP Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 1; box-shadow: 0 10px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.12); transition: transform 120ms ease, box-shadow 120ms ease, opacity 120ms ease; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; position: relative; z-index: 3; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn:hover { transform: translateY(-1px); box-shadow: 0 14px 22px rgba(0,0,0,0.16); } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn:active { transform: translateY(0); box-shadow: 0 10px 18px rgba(0,0,0,0.12); opacity: 0.95; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-btn:focus-visible { outline: 3px solid rgba(228, 0, 43, 0.35); outline-offset: 3px; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-icon { width: 10px; height: 10px; border-right: 2px solid currentColor; border-bottom: 2px solid currentColor; transform: rotate(45deg); margin-top: -2px; } #ap-readmore-embed .ap-readmore-fade { display: none; height: 48px; margin-top: -48px; pointer-events: none; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255,255,255,0), rgba(255,255,255,1)); } Read More (function () { var APRM_EMBED_ID = "ap-readmore-embed"; var APRM_MOBILE_MQ = "(max-width: 767px)"; function APRM_onReady(fn) { if (document.readyState === "loading") { document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", fn); } else { fn(); } } APRM_onReady(function () { var APRM_embedEl = document.getElementById(APRM_EMBED_ID); if (!APRM_embedEl) return; // 🚨 DESKTOP: remove entire module wrapper and bail early if (!window.matchMedia(APRM_MOBILE_MQ).matches) { var APRM_rootModule = APRM_embedEl.closest(".HTMLModuleEnhancement") || APRM_embedEl.closest(".HtmlModule"); if (APRM_rootModule && APRM_rootModule.parentNode) { APRM_rootModule.parentNode.removeChild(APRM_rootModule); } else if (APRM_embedEl.parentNode) { APRM_embedEl.parentNode.removeChild(APRM_embedEl); } return; // stop the rest of the script from running } }); })(); (function () { var EMBED_ID = "ap-readmore-embed"; var BTN_ID = "apReadMoreBtn"; var FADE_ID = "apReadMoreFade"; var STOP_SELECTOR = ".Page-below"; var SIGN_IN_GATE_SELECTOR = ".sign-in-gate-content"; var HIDDEN_ATTR = "data-ap-readmore-hidden"; var MOBILE_MQ = "(max-width: 767px)"; function ready(fn) { if (document.readyState === "loading") { document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", fn); } else { fn(); } } function isElementNode(n) { return n && n.nodeType === 1; } function cancelEvent(e) { if (!e) return; if (typeof e.preventDefault === "function") e.preventDefault(); if (typeof e.stopPropagation === "function") e.stopPropagation(); if (typeof e.stopImmediatePropagation === "function") e.stopImmediatePropagation(); e.cancelBubble = true; e.returnValue = false; } function collapseDesktopEmbed(embed) { if (!embed) return true; if (!window.matchMedia(MOBILE_MQ).matches) { var maybeWrappers = [ embed.parentElement, embed.closest(".html-embed"), embed.closest("[data-type='htmlembed']"), embed.closest("[class*='embed']"), embed.closest("[class*='Embed']") ].filter(Boolean); embed.style.display = "none"; embed.style.margin = "0"; embed.style.padding = "0"; embed.style.height = "0"; embed.style.minHeight = "0"; embed.style.overflow = "hidden"; maybeWrappers.forEach(function (el) { el.style.margin = "0"; el.style.padding = "0"; el.style.height = "0"; el.style.minHeight = "0"; el.style.overflow = "hidden"; }); if (embed.parentNode) { embed.parentNode.removeChild(embed); } return true; } return false; } ready(function () { var embed = document.getElementById(EMBED_ID); var btn = document.getElementById(BTN_ID); var fade = document.getElementById(FADE_ID); if (!embed || !btn) return; if (collapseDesktopEmbed(embed)) return; var signInGate = document.querySelector(SIGN_IN_GATE_SELECTOR); if (signInGate) { embed.innerHTML = ""; return; } // — Analytics: impression when embed enters viewport — if ("IntersectionObserver" in window) { var io = new IntersectionObserver(function (entries, observer) { if (entries[0].isIntersecting) { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; window.dataLayer.push({ event: "ap_readmore_impression" }); observer.disconnect(); } }, { threshold: 0 }); io.observe(btn); } var stopEl = document.querySelector(STOP_SELECTOR); if (!stopEl) return; var rootCandidates = [ embed.closest(".Page"), embed.closest("article"), embed.closest("main"), document.body ].filter(Boolean); var root = rootCandidates.find(function (c) { return c.contains(stopEl); }) || document.body; var all = root.getElementsByTagName("*"); var hidden = []; for (var i = 0; i The top five spenders were unchanged from last year, with the Yankees third ($297.2 million), followed by Philadelphia ($282 million) and Toronto ($269 million). Six clubs had $250 million payrolls, up from four; and 10 teams had $200 million payrolls, an increase from nine. Eight teams were under $100 million, up from five. Detroit had the biggest increase, up $64.2 million to $206.7 million after signing pitcher Framber Valdez, re-signing Gleyber Torres with a qualifying offer and giving a big raise to ace Tarik Skubal via arbitration. Atlanta increased by $44.1 million, and the Chicago Cubs, Toronto and the Mets by just under $30 million. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); Minnesota slashed payroll by $46.3 million from opening day last year to $96.5 million. St. Louis cut its opening day payroll from $141.5 million to $100.4 million. The Cardinals’ spending includes $44 million it is paying Arizona and Boston as part of trades to get rid of Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras, plus just under $3.4 million to Arenado as the present-day value of a $6 million assignment bonus that originally had been deferred money owed in his contract and remains payable by the Cardinals in 2040 and ’41. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy . [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 16px; width: 100%; max-width: 720px; min-width: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 16px; box-sizing: border-box; border-radius: 8px; border: 1px solid #E6E6E7; background: #F2F2F2; box-shadow: 0 4px 4px 4px rgba(102, 102, 102, 0.40); font-family: "AP Var", system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: #000; container-type: inline-size; container-name: ap-nl-nlmw25; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; align-self: center; justify-self: center; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-accent-nlmw25 { width: 48px; height: 6px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-title-nlmw25 { align-self: stretch; color: #000; font-family: "AP Var", system-ui, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 150%; margin: 0; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-title-nlmw25 strong { font-weight: 700; line-height: 130%; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-form-nlmw25 { margin: 0; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 16px; width: 100%; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-row-nlmw25 { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 12px; width: 100%; flex-wrap: nowrap; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-nlmw25 { width: 100%; min-width: 0; border: 1px solid #E6E6E7; border-radius: 10px; padding: 11px 12px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.2; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background: #fff; color: #000; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-wrapper-nlmw25 { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 8px; flex: 1 0 0; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-nlmw25:focus { border-color: rgba(0,0,0,.35); box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(255, 50, 46, 0.18); } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-button-nlmw25 { display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; height: 40px; max-height: 40px; padding: 8px 16px; border-radius: 24px; background: #191919; color: #ffffff; border: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1; cursor: pointer; white-space: nowrap; transition: background 150ms ease, transform 120ms ease; flex: 0 0 auto; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-button-nlmw25:hover { background: #000000; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-button-nlmw25:active { transform: scale(0.98); } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-disclaimer-nlmw25 { display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 8px; align-self: stretch; background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); background-blend-mode: multiply; margin: 0; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-check-nlmw25 { display: flex; gap: 8px; align-items: flex-start; user-select: none; cursor: pointer; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-checkbox-nlmw25 { margin-top: 2px; width: 16px; height: 16px; accent-color: var(--ap-accent); flex: 0 0 auto; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-checktext-nlmw25 { font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.35; color: var(--ap-muted); } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] a { color: var(--ap-text); text-decoration: underline; text-underline-offset: 2px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] a:hover { color: var(--ap-accent); } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-messages-nlmw25 { margin: 0; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-error-nlmw25:empty, [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-help-nlmw25:empty { display: none; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-help-nlmw25 { margin: 0; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-messages-nlmw25:has(.ap-newsletter-error-nlmw25:empty):has(.ap-newsletter-help-nlmw25:empty) { display: none; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-error-nlmw25 { margin: 0; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.35; color: var(--ap-error); min-height: 1.2em; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-help-nlmw25 { margin: 6px 0 0; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.35; color: var(--ap-muted); } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25].is-submitted-nlmw25 .ap-newsletter-input-nlmw25 { background: rgba(0,0,0,.04); border-color: rgba(0,0,0,.10); color: rgba(0,0,0,.70); cursor: default; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25].is-submitted-nlmw25 .ap-newsletter-button-nlmw25 { display: none; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25].is-submitted-nlmw25 .ap-newsletter-disclaimer-nlmw25 { display: none; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-bot-field-nlmw25 { position: absolute !important; left: -9999px; top: -9999px; width: 1px; height: 1px; opacity: 0; pointer-events: none; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-sr-only-nlmw25 { position: absolute !important; width: 1px; height: 1px; padding: 0; margin: -1px; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0,0,0,0); white-space: nowrap; border: 0; } @container ap-nl-nlmw25 (max-width: 420px) { [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] { max-width: 350px; padding: 16px; gap: 12px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-form-nlmw25 { gap: 12px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-row-nlmw25 { flex-direction: column; align-items: stretch; gap: 12px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-button-nlmw25 { width: 100%; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-wrapper-nlmw25, [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-nlmw25 { width: 100%; } } @media (max-width: 420px) { [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] { max-width: 350px; padding: 16px; gap: 12px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-form-nlmw25 { gap: 12px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-row-nlmw25 { flex-direction: column; align-items: stretch; gap: 12px; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-button-nlmw25 { width: 100%; } [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-wrapper-nlmw25, [data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25] .ap-newsletter-input-nlmw25 { width: 100%; } } const NL_DEFAULT_CONFIG_NLMW25 = { apiUrl: '/api/newsletter/signup', defaultNewsletterList: ['Morning Wire Subscribers'], recaptchaSiteKey: '6Lf06WQrAAAAABB9Ms3Gru2SFLSxUYrLqP5YLDMn', recaptchaHeader: 'X-ReCaptcha-Token', /* UTM params to append to the page URL used as the request referrer. This does NOT modify the subscription payload. */ referrerUtmParams: { utm_source: 'embed' }, messages: { invalidEmail: 'Please use a valid email address.', disclaimerRequired: 'Please check disclaimer before proceeding.', invalidBoth: 'Please provide a valid email address, and check disclaimer.', genericError: 'Something went wrong. Please try again later.', botBlocked: 'Please try again.', recaptchaLoadFail: 'Failed to load reCAPTCHA. Please refresh the page and try again.', recaptchaRequired: 'reCAPTCHA verification is required. Please ensure reCAPTCHA is loaded on this page.', recaptchaFailed: 'reCAPTCHA verification failed. Please refresh the page and try again.', verificationFailed: 'Verification failed. Please try again.' } }; (function (nlConfigNLMW25) { const nlEmailRegexNLMW25 = /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]{2,}$/; const nlRecaptchaCheckIntervalNLMW25 = 100; const nlRecaptchaMaxAttemptsNLMW25 = 50; function nlIsValidEmailNLMW25(email) { return nlEmailRegexNLMW25.test(String(email || '').trim()); } function nlBuildReferrerUrlNLMW25(utmParams) { try { const url = new URL(window.location.href); Object.entries(utmParams || {}).forEach(([key, value]) => { if (value !== undefined && value !== null && value !== '') { url.searchParams.set(key, value); } }); return url.toString(); } catch (err) { console.warn('Unable to build referrer URL with UTM params:', err); return window.location.href; } } function nlLoadRecaptchaScriptNLMW25(siteKey, callback) { if (typeof window.grecaptcha !== 'undefined') { callback && callback(); return; } const existingScript = document.querySelector('script[src*="recaptcha/api.js"]'); if (existingScript) { const checkInterval = setInterval(() => { if (typeof window.grecaptcha !== 'undefined') { clearInterval(checkInterval); callback && callback(); } }, nlRecaptchaCheckIntervalNLMW25); return; } const script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = `https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?render=${encodeURIComponent(siteKey)}`; script.async = true; script.defer = true; script.onload = () => callback && callback(); script.onerror = () => { console.error('Failed to load reCAPTCHA script'); callback && callback(false); }; document.head.appendChild(script); } function nlWaitForRecaptchaNLMW25(callback, maxAttempts = nlRecaptchaMaxAttemptsNLMW25) { let attempts = 0; const checkRecaptcha = () => { attempts++; if ( typeof window.grecaptcha !== 'undefined' && typeof window.grecaptcha.execute === 'function' ) { callback(true); } else if (attempts token && token.length > 0 ? token : null) .catch(error => { const errorMsg = error?.message || String(error); if ( errorMsg.includes('No reCAPTCHA clients') || errorMsg.includes('not initialized') || errorMsg.includes('Invalid site key') ) { throw new Error('recaptcha_failed'); } throw error; }); } const nlEmbedsNLMW25 = document.querySelectorAll('[data-ap-newsletter-embed-nlmw25]'); nlEmbedsNLMW25.forEach((rootNLMW25, idxNLMW25) => { const formNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-form-nlmw25'); const emailInputNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-input-nlmw25'); const checkboxNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-checkbox-nlmw25'); const errorElNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-error-nlmw25'); const helpElNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-help-nlmw25'); const botFieldNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-bot-field-nlmw25'); const recaptchaDivNLMW25 = rootNLMW25.querySelector('.ap-newsletter-recaptcha-nlmw25'); let nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; const newsletterListNLMW25 = nlConfigNLMW25.defaultNewsletterList; const recaptchaSiteKeyNLMW25 = nlConfigNLMW25.recaptchaSiteKey; const requestReferrerNLMW25 = nlBuildReferrerUrlNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.referrerUtmParams); const emailIdNLMW25 = `nl-email-nlmw25-${idxNLMW25}`; const helpIdNLMW25 = `nl-help-nlmw25-${idxNLMW25}`; const errIdNLMW25 = `nl-error-nlmw25-${idxNLMW25}`; const recaptchaIdNLMW25 = `recaptcha-nlmw25-${idxNLMW25}`; emailInputNLMW25.id = emailIdNLMW25; helpElNLMW25.id = helpIdNLMW25; errorElNLMW25.id = errIdNLMW25; if (recaptchaDivNLMW25) { recaptchaDivNLMW25.id = recaptchaIdNLMW25; if (recaptchaSiteKeyNLMW25) { recaptchaDivNLMW25.setAttribute('data-sitekey', recaptchaSiteKeyNLMW25); } } emailInputNLMW25.setAttribute('aria-describedby', `${helpIdNLMW25} ${errIdNLMW25}`); const nlSetErrorNLMW25 = (msg) => { errorElNLMW25.textContent = msg || ''; errorElNLMW25.style.display = msg ? 'block' : 'none'; }; const nlHideErrorNLMW25 = () => nlSetErrorNLMW25(''); const nlSetSubmittedNLMW25 = () => { rootNLMW25.classList.add('is-submitted-nlmw25'); emailInputNLMW25.value = 'SUBMITTED'; emailInputNLMW25.style.fontWeight = 'bold'; emailInputNLMW25.setAttribute('readonly', 'readonly'); emailInputNLMW25.setAttribute('aria-invalid', 'false'); nlHideErrorNLMW25(); }; const nlSubscribeNLMW25 = (tokenNLMW25) => { if (nlIsSubmittingNLMW25) return; if (botFieldNLMW25?.value) { console.warn('Bot field filled --', botFieldNLMW25.value); nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.botBlocked); return; } const emailNLMW25 = String(emailInputNLMW25.value || '').trim(); const emailOkNLMW25 = nlIsValidEmailNLMW25(emailNLMW25); const disclaimerOkNLMW25 = checkboxNLMW25.checked; if (!emailOkNLMW25 && !disclaimerOkNLMW25) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.invalidBoth); emailInputNLMW25.setAttribute('aria-invalid', 'true'); emailInputNLMW25.focus(); return; } if (!emailOkNLMW25) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.invalidEmail); emailInputNLMW25.setAttribute('aria-invalid', 'true'); emailInputNLMW25.focus(); return; } if (!disclaimerOkNLMW25) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.disclaimerRequired); checkboxNLMW25.focus(); return; } nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = true; const headersNLMW25 = { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }; if (tokenNLMW25) { headersNLMW25[nlConfigNLMW25.recaptchaHeader] = tokenNLMW25; } fetch(nlConfigNLMW25.apiUrl, { method: 'POST', headers: headersNLMW25, body: JSON.stringify({ emailId: emailNLMW25, newsLetterListToSubscribe: newsletterListNLMW25 }), /* This is the key change: send the current page URL + UTM params as the referrer. Example: https://.../article/... ?utm_source=embed */ referrer: requestReferrerNLMW25, referrerPolicy: 'strict-origin-when-cross-origin' }) .then(response => response.json() .then(data => ({ status: response.status, data })) .catch(() => ({ status: response.status, data: null })) ) .then(result => { nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; const hasVerificationErrorNLMW25 = result.data && ( result.data.message?.includes('Verification Failed') || result.data.error?.includes('Verification Failed') ); if (hasVerificationErrorNLMW25) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.verificationFailed); return; } if (result.status === 200) { if (typeof window.NLSignup === 'function') { try { window.NLSignup(emailNLMW25); } catch (err) {} } window.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('nl:newsletterSignup:nlmw25', { detail: { email: emailNLMW25, source: 'Morning Wire Embed', newsletters: newsletterListNLMW25, referrer: requestReferrerNLMW25 } })); nlSetSubmittedNLMW25(); } else { const errorMsgNLMW25 = result.data?.message || result.data?.error || nlConfigNLMW25.messages.genericError; nlSetErrorNLMW25(errorMsgNLMW25); } }) .catch(error => { nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; console.error('Newsletter subscription error:', error); nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.genericError); }); }; const nlAttemptRecaptchaNLMW25 = () => { if (!recaptchaSiteKeyNLMW25) { nlWaitForRecaptchaNLMW25(isAvailable => { if (!isAvailable) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.recaptchaRequired); nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; return; } nlExecuteRecaptchaNLMW25() .then(token => nlSubscribeNLMW25(token)) .catch(() => nlSubscribeNLMW25(null)); }); return; } nlLoadRecaptchaScriptNLMW25(recaptchaSiteKeyNLMW25, success => { if (success === false) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.recaptchaLoadFail); nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; return; } nlWaitForRecaptchaNLMW25(isAvailable => { if (!isAvailable) { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.recaptchaRequired); nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; return; } const runExecuteNLMW25 = () => { nlExecuteRecaptchaNLMW25() .then(token => nlSubscribeNLMW25(token)) .catch(error => { if (error?.message === 'recaptcha_failed') { nlSetErrorNLMW25(nlConfigNLMW25.messages.recaptchaFailed); nlIsSubmittingNLMW25 = false; } else { console.warn('reCAPTCHA error:', error); nlSubscribeNLMW25(null); } }); }; if (typeof window.grecaptcha.ready === 'function') { window.grecaptcha.ready(runExecuteNLMW25); } else { runExecuteNLMW25(); } }); }); }; formNLMW25.addEventListener('submit', e => { e.preventDefault(); if (rootNLMW25.classList.contains('is-submitted-nlmw25') || nlIsSubmittingNLMW25) return; nlHideErrorNLMW25(); nlAttemptRecaptchaNLMW25(); }); emailInputNLMW25.addEventListener('input', () => { nlHideErrorNLMW25(); emailInputNLMW25.setAttribute('aria-invalid', 'false'); }); checkboxNLMW25.addEventListener('change', nlHideErrorNLMW25); }); })(NL_DEFAULT_CONFIG_NLMW25); Other teams with big cuts included the Guardians ($40.2 million), Texas ($37.3 million) and Washington ($23.3 million). Payrolls include the 942 players on opening day rosters and injured lists. They do not include players on the restricted list such as Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar and Philadelphia outfielder Johan Rojas. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); They also don’t reflect players who started the season assigned to minor league teams such as Dodgers second baseman Hyeseong Kim and Toronto pitcher Yariel Rodríguez. Baseball’s median salary, the point at which an equal number of players are above and below, rose to $1.4 million from $1.35 million and remained below the record high of $1.65 million at the start of 2015. Active rosters expanded to 26 players in 2021. Average and median salaries decline over the course of the season as veterans are released and replaced by younger players making closer to the minimum. MLB calculated the 2025 final average at $4.61 million and the players’ association at $4.72 million . There were 519 players earning $1 million or more, at 55% the same as last year. Nineteen players earned $30 million or more, an increase of four; 74 were at $20 million, up from 66; and 168 at $10 million, down from 177. Thirty-one players made the $780,000 minimum. The top 50 players make 30% of the salaries, up from 29% in the prior two years, and the top 100 earn 49%, up from 48% last year. freestar.queue.push(function () { window.fsAdCount = window.fsAdCount + 1 || 0; let customChannel = '/dynamic_' + fsAdCount; let adList = document.querySelectorAll(".fs-feed-ad") let thisAd = adList[fsAdCount]; let randId = Math.random().toString(36).slice(2); thisAd.id = randId; let thisPlacement = fsAdCount == 0 ? "apnews_story_feed" : "apnews_story_feed_dynamic"; freestar.newAdSlots({ placementName: thisPlacement, slotId: randId }, customChannel); }); The AP’s figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income. Payroll figures factor in adjustments for cash transactions in trades, signing bonuses that are the responsibility of the club agreeing to the contract, option buyouts and termination pay for released players. MLB’s payrolls are based on 40-man rosters and fluctuate each day depending on roster moves. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB