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The Texas Rangers opened the 1985 season paying $7,676,500 to 20 players and closed 2016 at $176,038,723 across 29 players, a 22.9× rise in nominal dollars. The franchise’s biggest recorded single-season salary in this span is Prince Fielder’s $24,000,000 in 2014.
| Year | Players | Payroll | Average | Median | Top paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 20 | $7,676,500 | $383,825 | $347,000 | Gary Ward ($720K) |
| 1986 | 26 | $6,743,119 | $259,351 | $163,750 | Gary Ward ($865K) |
| 1987 | 4 | $880,000 | $220,000 | $98,750 | Greg Harris ($620K) |
| 1988 | 22 | $5,342,131 | $242,824 | $175,000 | Charlie Hough ($850K) |
| 1989 | 30 | $11,893,781 | $396,459 | $240,000 | Nolan Ryan ($1.8M) |
| 1990 | 37 | $14,874,372 | $402,010 | $162,500 | Julio Franco ($1.6M) |
| 1991 | 21 | $18,224,500 | $867,833 | $355,000 | Nolan Ryan ($3.3M) |
| 1992 | 31 | $30,128,167 | $971,876 | $260,000 | Ruben Sierra ($5M) |
| 1993 | 38 | $36,376,959 | $957,288 | $237,500 | Jose Canseco ($4.8M) |
| 1994 | 33 | $32,973,597 | $999,200 | $340,000 | Jose Canseco ($5.1M) |
| 1995 | 34 | $34,581,451 | $1,017,102 | $212,500 | Will Clark ($5.6M) |
| 1996 | 33 | $39,041,528 | $1,183,077 | $350,000 | Juan Gonzalez ($7.4M) |
| 1997 | 37 | $53,448,838 | $1,444,563 | $285,000 | Juan Gonzalez ($7.5M) |
| 1998 | 30 | $56,572,095 | $1,885,737 | $1,012,500 | Juan Gonzalez ($7.8M) |
| 1999 | 30 | $76,709,931 | $2,556,998 | $1,787,500 | Ivan Rodriguez ($8.9M) |
| 2000 | 26 | $70,795,921 | $2,722,920 | $1,550,000 | Rafael Palmeiro ($8.6M) |
| 2001 | 31 | $88,633,500 | $2,859,145 | $800,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($22M) |
| 2002 | 28 | $105,526,122 | $3,768,790 | $2,000,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($22M) |
| 2003 | 30 | $103,491,667 | $3,449,722 | $1,150,000 | Alex Rodriguez ($22M) |
| 2004 | 29 | $55,050,417 | $1,898,290 | $550,000 | Chan Ho Park ($14M) |
| 2005 | 31 | $55,849,000 | $1,801,581 | $650,000 | Chan Ho Park ($15M) |
| 2006 | 31 | $68,228,662 | $2,200,925 | $750,000 | Phil Nevin ($10.5M) |
| 2007 | 28 | $68,318,675 | $2,439,953 | $550,000 | Kevin Millwood ($9.8M) |
| 2008 | 29 | $67,712,326 | $2,334,908 | $810,000 | Vicente Padilla ($11M) |
| 2009 | 29 | $68,178,798 | $2,350,993 | $555,000 | Michael Young ($13.1M) |
| 2010 | 29 | $55,250,544 | $1,905,191 | $510,000 | Michael Young ($13.2M) |
| 2011 | 29 | $92,299,264 | $3,182,733 | $1,251,000 | Michael Young ($16.2M) |
| 2012 | 26 | $120,510,974 | $4,635,037 | $3,437,500 | Michael Young ($16.2M) |
| 2013 | 29 | $112,522,600 | $3,880,090 | $2,000,000 | Adrian Beltre ($16M) |
| 2014 | 24 | $112,255,059 | $4,677,294 | $2,150,000 | Prince Fielder ($24M) |
| 2015 | 30 | $143,742,789 | $4,791,426 | $937,500 | Prince Fielder ($24M) |
| 2016 | 29 | $176,038,723 | $6,070,301 | $1,550,000 | Prince Fielder ($24M) |
| # | Player | Salary | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prince Fielder | $24,000,000 | 2014 (TEX) |
| 2 | Prince Fielder | $24,000,000 | 2015 (TEX) |
| 3 | Prince Fielder | $24,000,000 | 2016 (TEX) |
| 4 | Josh Hamilton | $24,000,000 | 2016 (TEX) |
| 5 | Josh Hamilton | $22,708,749 | 2015 (TEX) |
| 6 | Cole Hamels | $22,500,000 | 2016 (TEX) |
| 7 | Alex Rodriguez | $22,000,000 | 2001 (TEX) |
| 8 | Alex Rodriguez | $22,000,000 | 2002 (TEX) |
| 9 | Alex Rodriguez | $22,000,000 | 2003 (TEX) |
| 10 | Shin-Soo Choo | $20,000,000 | 2016 (TEX) |
| 11 | Adrian Beltre | $18,000,000 | 2016 (TEX) |
| 12 | Adrian Beltre | $17,000,000 | 2014 (TEX) |
| 13 | Michael Young | $16,174,974 | 2011 (TEX) |
| 14 | Michael Young | $16,174,974 | 2012 (TEX) |
| 15 | Adrian Beltre | $16,000,000 | 2013 (TEX) |
This page aggregates the Lahman database’s real salary rows (1985-2016) for every identity this franchise played under: Texas Rangers. 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 $176,038,723 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.