AP Study: MLB Average at Around $4.4M for 5th Year in Row

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary ahead of a postponed opening day remained at around $4.4 million for the fifth straight season, according to a study of contracts by The Associated Press. And that is before taking into account any decrease caused by a shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The New York Yankees top payrolls for the first time since 2013 at nearly $242 million and tower over the Pittsburgh Pirates at $54 million -- the lowest of any big league team in six years. Top stars like Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole got more. The shrinking baseball middle class earned less.