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A22 sports
Wednesday 9 January 2019

MLB payrolls dropped for 1st time since 2010

By RONALD BLUM are deferred are discount-
AP Baseball Writer ed to reflect present-day
NEW YORK (AP) — Spending values.
on Major League Baseball The average salary
payrolls dropped last sea- dropped for the first time
son for the first time since since 2004 and for only the
2010, an $18 million de- fourth time since record-
crease attributable to drug keeping started 50 years
and domestic violence sus- ago, according to players’
pensions and a player retir- association calculations.
ing at midseason. The union pegged its aver-
Still, even a year with flat age at $4,095,686, down
payrolls is unusual for MLB. $1,436 from last year.
The only previous drops From left are 2018 file photos showing Robinson Cano, Welington Castillo, Roberto Osuna and Since the union started
since 2002 were by $3 mil- Colby Rasmus. keeping track in 1967, the
lion in 2010 and by $32 mil- Associated Press only previous declines
lion in 2004. contracts and include ben- should be on taking pro- Chicago White Sox. had been by $66 in 1987,
Teams combined to spend efits. MLB pegged the aver- active steps to address cur- Payrolls are for 40-man ros- when owners were found
$4.23 billion on major age salary increase at 29.1 rent labor issues in the hope ters and include salaries to have conspired to hold
league payroll last year, percent since 2012 and the of avoiding a strike in 2021.” and prorated shares of down salaries among free
according to final figures average luxury tax pay- San Francisco had the sec- signing bonuses, earned in- agents; a 5 percent de-
compiled by the com- roll rise since then at 28.4 ond-highest regular payroll centive bonuses, non-cash cline in 1995 following a 7½
missioner’s office and ob- percent. “So although the at $210 million, followed by compensation, buyouts of -month strike that wiped
tained by The Associated top payroll in 2018 was the the Chicago Cubs at $199 unexercised options and out the World Series for the
Press. The decrease fol- lowest since 2012, the aver- million. cash transactions. In some first time since 1904; and by
lowed an offseason with a age payroll has increased The Los Angeles Dodg- cases, parts of salaries that 2.5 percent in 2004.q
weak free-agent class that significantly, which means ers dropped to fourth at
failed to push the average MLB has had payroll com- $196 million after leading
higher. pression — which is a good the major leagues for four Olympic water polo champion
Seattle second baseman thing for competitive bal- straight years. The Dodg-
Robinson Cano lost about ance,” he said. ers, who spent a record Antal Bolvari dies at 86
$11.7 million and Chicago Union head Tony Clark $291 million in 2015, cut by
White Sox catcher Weling- declined to comment, $48 million from 2017 and undisclosed illness, his fam-
ton Castillo approximately spokesman Chris Dahl said. had their smallest payroll ily said.
$3.5 million after positive Agent Scott Boras claimed since 2012, yet they won The Olympic semifinal
drug tests. Closer Roberto the players’ portion of the a second straight NL pen- match against the Soviet
Osuna’s domestic vio- money has declined. nant.Washington was fifth Union, just weeks after the
lence suspension cost him “The luxury tax, the new el- at $185 million, followed Soviets crushed the 1956
roughly $2.1 million from ements have dramatically by the New York Yankees Hungarian uprising, turned
Toronto and Houston, and quelled the market,” he at $183 million — a drop violent and became
Baltimore outfielder Colby said. “The allocation of rev- of more than $25 million known as the “Blood in the
Rasmus walked away from enues to payroll has gone from 2017 and their small- Water” match after Hun-
about $1.5 million rather down.” est since 2003. The Yankees garian player Ervin Zador
than try to come back from Both sides agree on one had not been as low as bled profusely from cuts
a hip injury. fact: The pace of free- sixth since they were ninth around his right eye after
World Series champion Bos- agent signings has slowed in 1992 at $34.5 million in being punched by an op-
ton had the highest payroll dramatically in recent the final season of owner ponent.
for the first time since the offseasons. Jeff Berry, an George Steinbrenner’s 2½- Hungary went on to defeat
free-agent era started in agent who co-heads CAA year suspension. Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final.
1976 at $230 million. In a Baseball, suggested a call Just five of the top 10 In this picture taken on Jan. Like several of his team-
sign of increasing parity, a to action in a memo he spenders made the play- 28, 2010 Olympic champion mates, Bolvari defected to
Hungarian water polo player
record 24 teams had $100 circulated last year that offs, with San Francisco and Antal Bolvari is seen at an the West after the Olym-
million payrolls, and the included suggestions such Washington missing along exhibition in the National pics, living in Australia for
Red Sox figure was the low- as boycotting marketing with the Los Angeles Angels Museum of Ethnography in five years. Returning to
est for the top big league appearances and delay- (seventh at $177 million), Budapest, Hungary. Hungary, he played for
payroll since 2012. Luxury ing arrival at spring training St. Louis (eighth at $166 mil- Associated Press club teams Vasas, Sparta-
tax surcharges that started until the mandatory report lion) and Seattle (10th at Associated Press cus and Ferencvaros.
for the 2017 season appear date in late February. $162 million). BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — After his playing career,
to have changed behavior “Despite increasing MLB Other playoff teams includ- Antal Bolvari, a two-time Bolvari coached Sparta-
of high-revenue teams. revenues and franchise ed Colorado (14th at $148 Olympic water polo cham- cus and Honved, as well as
MLB Deputy Commissioner valuations, in this new million), Cleveland (15th at pion who scored a goal in Hungary’s junior squad. In
Dan Halem said the slice world order of analytics, $146 million), Atlanta (20th Hungary’s famous 4-0 win the early 1980s, he was also
of revenue going to major aging curves, tanking, shift- at $127 million), Milwaukee over the Soviet Union in the an assistant to head coach
and minor league players ing, openers, bull-penning, (22nd at $108 million, up “Blood in the Water” match Mihaly Mayer with Hun-
last year was 54.2 percent, declining attendance and $40 million from 2017’s big at the 1956 Melbourne gary’s senior squad. Bolvari
the same as in 2012. He declining salaries, players league low) and Oakland Games, has died. He was was also an officer in the
cited a $9.4 billion revenue should and do feel vulnera- (28th at $78 million). 86. Hungarian army, dedicat-
figure for 2018, up from $9.1 ble and unsure,” he wrote. Tampa Bay had the low- Bolvari, who won gold at ed to sports.
billion in 2017, and luxury “Rather than saber rattling est payroll for the first time both the 1952 and 1956 Bolvari was born May 6,
tax payrolls, which use av- about a potential strike since 2007, at $75.1 million Olympics, died Tuesday in 1932, in the southwestern
erage annual values of in three years, the focus finishing $92,526 below the the hospital after a long, city of Kaposvar.q