On the surface, Major League Baseball's official Opening Day payroll numbers do not offer any surprises. The Boston Red Sox are paying the most in actual salaries as well as the number used in luxury-tax calculations. The Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees also have payrolls in excess of $200 million. The average salary is almost exactly flat year-over-year despite industry revenue gains.
A deeper dive into the numbers offers a few important lessons as MLB and the MLB Players Association prepare to discuss the game's economics in early bargaining sessions expected to start soon.