The payroll champion is an astounding category to lead any professional sports league in. It was once a foregone conclusion that the New York Yankees would be at the pole position but that is not the case anymore. The Los Angeles Dodgers are ending the Yankees' 15-year streak they are set to have a projected payroll of $235 million, according to study of all major league contracts.
New York will have a payroll of $204 million. The Yankees are followed by Philadelphia at $180 million, Boston at $163 million and Detroit at $162 million. Houston is last in the MLB at $45 million, up from $27 million at the start of last year.
A big part of the difference is Alex Rodriguez. He's suspended for the season for violations of baseball's drug agreement and labor contract. Because of his suspension, he will earn only $3,868,852 of his $25 million salary.
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[via ESPN]
