Page 17 - aruba-today-24dec-2016

A17
SPORTS Saturday 24 december 2016

Apnewsbreak:
Rise in MLB
average salary JAGR
lowest since 2004

BY RONALD BLUM
AP BASEBALL WRITER
NEW YORK (AP) -- The rise in
Major League Baseball’s av- MEISTER
erage salary slowed this year
as more players got hurt and
wound up on the disabled
list, leaving the increase at
just under $14,000.
This season’s final average
was $3,966,020, the Major
League Baseball Players As-
sociation said Friday in its
annual report, up just 0.35
percent from last year’s
$3,952,252.
That is the lowest rate of in-
crease since a 2.5 percent
drop in 2004.
The commissioner’s office
has the Aug. 31 average
at $3,825,967, down from
$3,835,498 in 2015. The union
includes a pro-rated share
of option buyouts that may
be earned if the option is
declined, while MLB does
not take those into account
in its average.
MLB said total salaries in-
creased from $3.58 billion
last year to $3.69 billion for
those on Aug. 31 rosters and
disabled lists.
There were 964 players on
active rosters and DLs on
Aug. 31, the last day before
the player limit expanded
from 25 per team to 40. That
is up from 933 last year, and
most of the additional play-
ers have relatively little ma-
jor league service time and
earn close to the minimum,
which was $507,500 this year. Jagr moves into second on NHL points list
Injuries caused 561 DL place-
ments that led to more than
31,500 days spent on the DL
this year, both records.
Baseball’s average salary
declines during the sea- Florida Panthers right wing Jaromir Jagr,
son as some veterans are center, celebrates his assist, giving him 1,888
released and replaced by goals, second most in NHL history during the
younger players. The union third period of play against the Boston Bruins
in an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 22,
calculated the opening day 2016, in Sunrise, Fla. Boston won the game
average at $4,476,058 for 3-1.
865 players and the commis- Associated Press
sioner’s office at $4,365,822 Page 2
for 860.q