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The Toronto Blue Jays opened the 1985 season paying $8,812,550 to 20 players and closed 2016 at $138,701,700 across 29 players, a 15.7× rise in nominal dollars. The franchise’s biggest recorded single-season salary in this span is Jose Reyes’s $22,000,000 in 2015.
| Year | Players | Payroll | Average | Median | Top paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 20 | $8,812,550 | $440,628 | $353,150 | Dave Stieb ($1M) |
| 1986 | 27 | $12,611,047 | $467,076 | $347,096 | Bill Caudill ($1.5M) |
| 1987 | 23 | $10,479,501 | $455,630 | $331,000 | Jesse Barfield ($1.5M) |
| 1988 | 26 | $12,241,225 | $470,816 | $286,250 | George Bell ($1.9M) |
| 1989 | 28 | $16,261,666 | $580,774 | $286,250 | George Bell ($1.9M) |
| 1990 | 27 | $17,756,834 | $657,661 | $300,000 | George Bell ($2M) |
| 1991 | 25 | $19,902,417 | $796,097 | $315,000 | Joe Carter ($3.8M) |
| 1992 | 36 | $44,788,666 | $1,244,130 | $706,250 | Jack Morris ($4.5M) |
| 1993 | 33 | $47,279,166 | $1,432,702 | $500,000 | Joe Carter ($5.5M) |
| 1994 | 30 | $43,433,668 | $1,447,789 | $550,000 | Joe Carter ($5.5M) |
| 1995 | 33 | $50,590,000 | $1,533,030 | $290,000 | David Cone ($8M) |
| 1996 | 33 | $29,555,083 | $895,609 | $230,000 | Joe Carter ($6.5M) |
| 1997 | 33 | $47,079,833 | $1,426,662 | $500,000 | Roger Clemens ($8.4M) |
| 1998 | 32 | $51,376,000 | $1,605,500 | $975,000 | Roger Clemens ($8.6M) |
| 1999 | 32 | $45,444,333 | $1,420,135 | $500,000 | Pat Hentgen ($8.6M) |
| 2000 | 25 | $44,838,332 | $1,793,533 | $700,000 | Raul Mondesi ($10M) |
| 2001 | 28 | $76,895,999 | $2,746,286 | $2,191,667 | Carlos Delgado ($13.7M) |
| 2002 | 29 | $76,864,333 | $2,650,494 | $1,650,000 | Carlos Delgado ($19.4M) |
| 2003 | 27 | $51,269,000 | $1,898,852 | $600,000 | Carlos Delgado ($18.7M) |
| 2004 | 26 | $50,017,000 | $1,923,731 | $825,000 | Carlos Delgado ($19.7M) |
| 2005 | 26 | $45,719,500 | $1,758,442 | $525,000 | Roy Halladay ($10.5M) |
| 2006 | 26 | $71,365,000 | $2,744,808 | $2,225,000 | Roy Halladay ($12.8M) |
| 2007 | 27 | $81,942,800 | $3,034,919 | $1,025,000 | A. J. Burnett ($13.2M) |
| 2008 | 27 | $97,793,900 | $3,621,996 | $1,550,000 | A. J. Burnett ($13.2M) |
| 2009 | 28 | $80,538,300 | $2,876,368 | $932,500 | Roy Halladay ($14.3M) |
| 2010 | 30 | $62,234,000 | $2,074,467 | $825,000 | Vernon Wells ($15.7M) |
| 2011 | 31 | $62,567,800 | $2,018,316 | $1,200,000 | Jose Bautista ($8M) |
| 2012 | 27 | $75,009,200 | $2,778,119 | $2,000,000 | Jose Bautista ($14M) |
| 2013 | 31 | $126,288,100 | $4,073,810 | $2,750,000 | Jose Bautista ($14M) |
| 2014 | 25 | $109,920,100 | $4,396,804 | $3,000,000 | Jose Reyes ($16M) |
| 2015 | 25 | $112,992,400 | $4,519,696 | $1,021,600 | Jose Reyes ($22M) |
| 2016 | 29 | $138,701,700 | $4,782,817 | $1,050,000 | Troy Tulowitzki ($20M) |
| # | Player | Salary | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jose Reyes | $22,000,000 | 2015 (TOR) |
| 2 | Mark Buehrle | $20,000,000 | 2015 (TOR) |
| 3 | Troy Tulowitzki | $20,000,000 | 2016 (TOR) |
| 4 | Carlos Delgado | $19,700,000 | 2004 (TOR) |
| 5 | Carlos Delgado | $19,400,000 | 2002 (TOR) |
| 6 | Carlos Delgado | $18,700,000 | 2003 (TOR) |
| 7 | Jose Reyes | $16,000,000 | 2014 (TOR) |
| 8 | Vernon Wells | $15,687,500 | 2010 (TOR) |
| 9 | Russell Martin | $15,000,000 | 2016 (TOR) |
| 10 | Roy Halladay | $14,250,000 | 2009 (TOR) |
| 11 | Jose Bautista | $14,000,000 | 2012 (TOR) |
| 12 | Jose Bautista | $14,000,000 | 2013 (TOR) |
| 13 | Jose Bautista | $14,000,000 | 2014 (TOR) |
| 14 | Jose Bautista | $14,000,000 | 2015 (TOR) |
| 15 | Jose Bautista | $14,000,000 | 2016 (TOR) |
This page aggregates the Lahman database’s real salary rows (1985-2016) for every identity this franchise played under: Toronto Blue Jays. Amounts are nominal US dollars exactly as recorded, with no inflation adjustment, because a deflator is an editorial choice and this archive refuses to invent one. The Lahman Salaries table was last updated for 2016, so nothing here reaches the current season.
The franchise’s heaviest recorded payroll was the 2016 season at $138,701,700 across 29 players.
Salary data: SABR / Lahman baseball database, CC BY-SA 3.0. Aggregated and published by Legends Deck. Nominal dollars; no inflation adjustment.