San Diego Padres designated hitter Manny Machado reacts to being called out on strikes during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron)
NEW YORK (AP) — The San Diego Padres cut payroll by $96 million in the past year, the New York Mets by $50 million, and the Los Angeles Angels by $49 million — among nine teams in MLB that slashed spending in a tepid free-agent market that sparked player unrest.
The average salary increased 1.5% to $4.98 million on opening day, according to a study by The Associated Press. That was down from an 11.1% rise last year to $4.91 million and a 6% increase in 2022 following the end of the spring training lockout.
Other teams cutting were the Chicago White Sox (by $47 million), Colorado Rockies ($33 million), Minnesota Twins ($32 million), Detroit Tigers ($20 million), Boston Red Sox ($15 million) and Milwaukee Brewers ($12 million).
Several top free agents — including two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger — remained unsigned into spring training and took shorter-team deals than they anticipated.
“It’s a concern,” said Toronto pitcher Chris Bassitt, his team’s player representative, adding he took notice “when you have reigning Cy Young, when you have seven or eight guys that are really, really good not signed.”
Last year’s percentage increase was the largest since a 13.9% jump in 2001, a promising gain for players following a pair of sluggish free agent markets, the pandemic and a 99-day lockout ahead of a labor deal in March 2022.
During spring training this year, a faction of players attempted to oust union negotiator Bruce Meyer in an effort that appears to have failed.
The biggest increases from the start of last year were by Houston (up $44 million), the Chicago Cubs ($38 million), Baltimore ($33 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York…
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