- PREMIUM
- HOME
- NFL
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
- NBA
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
Southeast
Atlantic
Southwest
Northwest
- MLB
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
AL East
AL Central
NL West
NL East
- NHL
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
Atlantic
Pacific
- WNBA
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
Eastern
- EPL
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
- MLS
Transactions
Trending Players
Eastern
ATL Atlanta UnitedAtlanta United FC
MTL MontrealCF Montreal
CLT CharlotteCharlotte FC
CHI FireChicago Fire
CLB Columbus CrewColumbus Crew
DC UnitedD.C. United
CIN CincinnatiFC Cincinnati
MIA Inter MiamiInter Miami FC
NSH NashvilleNashville SC
NE RevolutionNew England Revolution
NYC New York CityNew York City FC
RBNY Red BullsNew York Red Bulls
ORL Orlando CityOrlando City
PHI UnionPhiladelphia Union
TOR TorontoToronto FC
Western
ATX AustinAustin FC
COL RapidsColorado Rapids
DAL DallasFC Dallas
HOU DynamoHouston Dynamo
LA GalaxyLA Galaxy
LAFC Los AngelesLos Angeles FC
MIN MinnesotaMinnesota United FC
POR TimbersPortland Timbers
RSL Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake
SJ EarthquakesSan Jose Earthquakes
SEA SoundersSeattle Sounders FC
SKC Kansas CitySporting Kansas City
STL St. Louis CITYSt. Louis CITY SC
VAN WhitecapsVancouver Whitecaps FC
- NWSL
Popular Pages
Transactions
Trending Players
ACFC Angel City FCAngel City FC
BFC Bay FCBay FC
CHI Chicago Red StarsChicago Red Stars
HOU Houston DashHouston Dash
KC Kansas City CurrentKansas City Current
NJNY NJ/NY Gotham FCNJ/NY Gotham FC
NC North Carolina CourageNorth Carolina Courage
ORL Orlando PrideOrlando Pride
POR Portland Thorns FCPortland Thorns FC
LOU Racing Louisville FCRacing Louisville FC
SD San Diego Wave FCSan Diego Wave FC
SEA Seattle Reign FCSeattle Reign FC
UTA Utah Royals FCUtah Royals FC
WAS Washington SpiritWashington Spirit
- GOLF
Popular Pages
Trending Players
- TENNIS
ATP
WTA
- RACING
NASCAR CUP
FORMULA 1
- PVF
- OLYMPICS
2023 MLB Opening Day Facts & Figures
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/xlarge/USATSI_20015922_168390303_lowres.jpg)
Opening Day Cash Payrolls
From a straight cash perspective the Mets, Yankees, & Padres (all teams you’ve probably heard a lot about this winter) lead the league entering the 2023 season.
The Mets bring an historic $334M guaranteed cash payroll into the year, $60M more than the MLB leading Dodgers accounted for in 2022.
On the side of the spectrum the Oakland A’s project to carry a $55M cash payroll into the year, including 18 players on near minimum pre-arbitration salaries. The Orioles (est. $66M), and Pirates (est. $72M) round out the bottom of the payroll list for now.
2023 MLB Cash Payrolls
Opening Day Tax Payrolls
Obviously nothing is complete until the season is complete, but an opening day span across the league shows us a range of CBT payrolls like we’ve never seen before. Tax payrolls are based on the average salary of a contract, not necessarily the amount of cash a team is spending this season. The MLB tax threshold for the 2023 season is $233,000,000.
The Mets lead the way at a projected $376M. If this holds, they’ll owe a whopping $103M bill, bringing their total expenditures to nearly $480M for the season.
7 teams project to be over the threshold to start the year: Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Padres, Blue Jays, Dodgers, & Braves.
On the low side, 4 teams open the season projecting to account for less than $100M of tax salary: Athletics, Orioles, Pirates, & Reds.
Opening Day Tax Payroll Projections
Top 2023 Salaries
We enter the 2023 season with 52 players set to earn at least $20M for the upcoming year. 16 of those will earn $30M+, while 3 (Scherzer, Verlander, Judge) will reel in $40M over the next 6 months.
Top Salary Per Position
Starting Pitcher: Max Scherzer (NYM) / Justin Verlander (NYM): $43,333,333
Relief PItcher: Edwin Diaz (NYM): $19,650,000
Catcher: J.T. Realmuto (PHI): $23,875,000
1st Baseman: Paul Goldschmidt (STL): $26,000,000
2nd Baseman: Jose Altuve (HOU): $26,000,000
Shortstop: Carlos Correa (MIN): $36,000,000
3rd Baseman: Anthony Rendon (LAA): $38,000,000
Outfield: Aaron Judge (NYY): $40,000,000
Outfield: Mike Trout (LAA): $35,450,000
Outfield: Kris Bryant (COL): $27,000,000
Top Positional Spenders
Starting Pitching: Despite letting Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, & Taijuan Walker walk in free agency, the Mets carry a $116M payroll for their 5 projected starting pitchers. The Reds enter 2023 with around $6M allocated to their rotation.
Relief Pitching: The Astros have around $42M allocated to their bullpen, and will rely on it heavily in 2023. The Angels also bulked up their relief pitching experience pool this winter.
Infielders: Despite a starting shortstop making his MLB debut, the Yankees hold baseball’s most expensive infield for 2023, with nearly $72M allocated to their 8 available players.
Outfielders: A splash contract for CF Brandon Nimmo soars the Mets to the top outfield spending spot, with over $50M allocated to Nimmo, Starling Marte, & Mark Canha.
Notable 2024 Free Agents
The list of pending free agents for next winter isn’t quite as strong as the one we just went through, but there are still plenty of names to pull out here - especially if we include potential opt-outs. Browse the full list here: https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/free-agents/2024
However, this is and will remain the Year of Ohtani. We’ve never seen a player like this in the field, and unless something goes terribly wrong over the next 6 months, we’re going to experience a contract like we’ve never seen before as well.
We’ve evaluated Shohei Ohtani from every angle this winter, and as it currently stands he’ll enter the season as a $230M pitcher, and a $330M hitter. So putting a $500M total valuation on the player as a whole certainly tracks.
Will he respond to the spotlight in the same manner that Aaron Judge did 1-year ago? Baseball enthusiasts across the world can only dream.
CATEGORIES
- NBA 102
- NFL 70
- GOLF 48
- NWSL 36
- MLB 22
- NHL 1
AUTHORS
- Michael Ginnitti NFL, MLB
- Keith Smith NBA
- Scott Allen Contributor
- Taylor Vincent NWSL
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/crop/4517_USATSI_23116132_168390303_lowres.jpg)
Roster Building In The Apron Era
Looking at how NBA teams over the 1st and 2nd Apron operated during the 2024 offseason.
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/crop/4515_USATSI_21583252_168390303_lowres.jpg)
2025 NWSL Free Agents: Top 15
Ranking the top 15 2025 NWSL Free Agents.
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/crop/4513_USATSI_24135171_168390303_lowres.jpg)
Scheffler Wins TOUR Championship
Scottie Scheffler wins the TOUR Championship and $25 million.
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/crop/4512_USATSI_21628660_168390303_lowres1.jpg)
Breaking Down Brandon Aiyuk's $120M Extension
After a 6-month standoff that may not have gotten anyone anywhere in the long run, the San Francisco 49ers & WR Brandon Aiyuk agreed to a 4 year, $120M contract extension this week, keeping the 26-year-old on the books through the 2028 season. READ MORE
![](https://d1dglpr230r57l.cloudfront.net/images/crop/4511_USATSI_22005779_168390303_lowres.jpg)
Breaking Down CeeDee Lamb's $136M Extension
The Cowboys checked off one of their three big contract extension boxes, signing WR CeeDee Lamb to a 4 year, $136M extension. We dive into the facts, figures, rankings & future outlook here. READ MORE
TRENDING PLAYERS
- 1 Jamal Murray (PG, DEN)
- 2 Ja'Marr Chase (WR, CIN)
- 3 Jordan Love (QB, GB)
- 4 Dak Prescott (QB, DAL)
- 5 Stephen Curry (PG, GSW)
TRENDING PAGES
- 1 NFL Free Agents
- 2 NFL Transactions
- 3 MLB Free Agents
- 4 NFL Contracts
- 5 NFL Cap Tracker