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Major-league payrolls grew from $261,964,696 across 550 players in 1985 to $3,750,137,392 across 853 players in 2016, a 14.3× increase in nominal dollars. The biggest single-season contract on record in this span is Alex Rodriguez's $33,000,000 with the New York Yankees in 2009.
| Year | Players | League payroll | Average | Median | Highest paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 550 | $261,964,696 | $476,299 | $400,000 | Mike Schmidt ($2.1M) |
| 1986 | 738 | $307,854,518 | $417,147 | $294,404 | George Foster ($2.8M) |
| 1987 | 627 | $272,575,375 | $434,729 | $285,000 | Mike Schmidt ($2.1M) |
| 1988 | 663 | $300,452,424 | $453,171 | $295,000 | Ozzie Smith ($2.3M) |
| 1989 | 711 | $359,995,711 | $506,323 | $300,000 | Orel Hershiser ($2.8M) |
| 1990 | 867 | $443,881,193 | $511,974 | $250,000 | Robin Yount ($3.2M) |
| 1991 | 685 | $613,048,418 | $894,961 | $500,000 | Darryl Strawberry ($3.8M) |
| 1992 | 769 | $805,543,323 | $1,047,521 | $430,000 | Bobby Bonilla ($6.1M) |
| 1993 | 923 | $902,090,134 | $977,346 | $300,000 | Bobby Bonilla ($6.2M) |
| 1994 | 884 | $927,836,287 | $1,049,589 | $337,500 | Bobby Bonilla ($6.3M) |
| 1995 | 986 | $951,469,367 | $964,979 | $222,500 | Cecil Fielder ($9.2M) |
| 1996 | 931 | $956,983,550 | $1,027,909 | $258,333 | Cecil Fielder ($9.2M) |
| 1997 | 925 | $1,127,285,885 | $1,218,687 | $350,000 | Albert Belle ($10M) |
| 1998 | 998 | $1,278,282,871 | $1,280,845 | $325,000 | Gary Sheffield ($14.9M) |
| 1999 | 1006 | $1,494,448,750 | $1,485,536 | $427,500 | Albert Belle ($11.9M) |
| 2000 | 836 | $1,666,135,102 | $1,992,985 | $750,000 | Kevin Brown ($15.7M) |
| 2001 | 860 | $1,960,663,313 | $2,279,841 | $925,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($22M) |
| 2002 | 846 | $2,024,077,522 | $2,392,527 | $900,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($22M) |
| 2003 | 827 | $2,128,262,128 | $2,573,473 | $788,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($22M) |
| 2004 | 831 | $2,070,665,943 | $2,491,776 | $775,000 | Manny Ramirez ($22.5M) |
| 2005 | 831 | $2,188,713,398 | $2,633,831 | $850,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($26M) |
| 2006 | 819 | $2,321,472,617 | $2,834,521 | $980,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($21.7M) |
| 2007 | 842 | $2,476,688,987 | $2,941,436 | $1,000,000 | Jason Giambi ($23.4M) |
| 2008 | 856 | $2,684,858,670 | $3,136,517 | $1,000,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($28M) |
| 2009 | 813 | $2,664,726,994 | $3,277,647 | $1,225,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($33M) |
| 2010 | 830 | $2,721,359,865 | $3,278,747 | $1,093,750 | Alex Rodriguez ($33M) |
| 2011 | 839 | $2,784,505,291 | $3,318,838 | $1,200,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($32M) |
| 2012 | 848 | $2,932,741,192 | $3,458,421 | $1,100,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($30M) |
| 2013 | 815 | $3,034,525,648 | $3,723,344 | $1,350,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($29M) |
| 2014 | 802 | $3,192,317,623 | $3,980,446 | $1,500,000 | Zack Greinke ($26M) |
| 2015 | 817 | $3,514,142,569 | $4,301,276 | $1,880,000 | Clayton Kershaw ($32.6M) |
| 2016 | 853 | $3,750,137,392 | $4,396,410 | $1,500,000 | Clayton Kershaw ($33M) |
| # | Player | Salary | Season | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Rodriguez | $33,000,000 | 2009 | New York Yankees |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | $33,000,000 | 2010 | New York Yankees |
| 3 | Clayton Kershaw | $33,000,000 | 2016 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 4 | Clayton Kershaw | $32,571,000 | 2015 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 5 | Alex Rodriguez | $32,000,000 | 2011 | New York Yankees |
| 6 | Zack Greinke | $31,799,030 | 2016 | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 7 | Alex Rodriguez | $30,000,000 | 2012 | New York Yankees |
| 8 | David Price | $30,000,000 | 2016 | Boston Red Sox |
| 9 | Alex Rodriguez | $29,000,000 | 2013 | New York Yankees |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | $28,000,000 | 2008 | New York Yankees |
| 11 | Justin Verlander | $28,000,000 | 2015 | Detroit Tigers |
| 12 | Miguel Cabrera | $28,000,000 | 2016 | Detroit Tigers |
| 13 | Justin Verlander | $28,000,000 | 2016 | Detroit Tigers |
| 14 | Yoenis Cespedes | $27,328,046 | 2016 | New York Mets |
| 15 | Vernon Wells | $26,187,500 | 2011 | Los Angeles Angels |
| 16 | Alex Rodriguez | $26,000,000 | 2005 | New York Yankees |
| 17 | Zack Greinke | $26,000,000 | 2014 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 18 | Felix Hernandez | $25,857,143 | 2016 | Seattle Mariners |
| 19 | Cliff Lee | $25,000,000 | 2013 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 20 | Ryan Howard | $25,000,000 | 2014 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 21 | Cliff Lee | $25,000,000 | 2014 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 22 | Zack Greinke | $25,000,000 | 2015 | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 23 | Ryan Howard | $25,000,000 | 2015 | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 24 | Jon Lester | $25,000,000 | 2016 | Chicago Cubs |
| 25 | Albert Pujols | $25,000,000 | 2016 | Los Angeles Angels |
Every figure on this page is computed from the Lahman baseball database (SABR, CC BY-SA 3.0), which records real major-league salaries beginning in 1985. The table was last updated for the 2016 season, so the archive stops there: we do not extend it with estimates. All amounts are nominal US dollars: a $476,299 average salary in 1985 and a $4,396,410 average in 2016 are shown exactly as recorded, with no inflation adjustment, because picking a deflator is an editorial choice we refuse to make silently. Rough roster coverage of the salary table is 57% for 1985 and 60% for 2016, so early-season aggregates slightly undercount what clubs actually spent.
Want a single club's books instead? Every franchise has a year-by-year payroll page with its own contract leaderboard, covering every historical identity of that franchise (the Expos roll into the Nationals page, the California and Anaheim Angels into the Angels page, and so on).
Salary data: SABR / Lahman baseball database, CC BY-SA 3.0. Aggregated and published by Legends Deck. Nominal dollars; no inflation adjustment.