The Royals will open the 2017 season Monday with a franchise-record payroll for the fifth consecutive year, according to an Associated Press study of baseball salaries.
Despite a comment from general manager Dayton Moore last offseason that payroll would “regress” a bit, the Royals are set to pay $145.9 million in salaries this season, which ranks 14th in the majors. Last year, the Royals ranked 15th at $137.3 million on opening day. Their payroll has risen to a record every opening day since 2013, when their payroll surpassed $80 million for the first time.
The New York Yankees aren’t among baseball’s top two payrolls for the first time in nearly a quarter-century, making cuts along with some other traditional big spenders.