We’ve talked about teams being cheap all offseason. As of Opening Day we have some numbers to gauge that cheapness.
According to Sportrac, the average 2019 Opening Day 40-man roster payroll is down over $3 million compared to 2018. Last year it was $136.8 million. This year it’s $133.6 million. The average 25-Man Opening Day payrolls is down even more: from $114.5 million in 2018 to $106.7 million in 2019. That’s a drop of almost $8 million.
Meanwhile, all y’all who were earnestly claiming that a couple of big contracts to Bryce Harper and Manny Machado negated the downward pressure on salaries across the game probably need to reassess your view of things.