Minnesota comes in near the low-end again after losing stars.
Even after significant raises for Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer, the Twins are spending less on their payroll in '08 than in '07. Losing mega-stars does that.
| Rank | Team | 2008 Salary |
| 1 | New York Yankees | $209,081,579 |
| 2 | Detroit Tigers | $138,685,197 |
| 3 | New York Mets | $138,293,378 |
| 4 | Boston Red Sox | $133,440,037 |
| 5 | Chicago White Sox | $121,152,667 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Angels | $119,216,333 |
| 7 | Chicago Cubs | $118,595,833 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $118,536,038 |
| 9 | Seattle Mariners | $117,993,982 |
| 10 | Atlanta Braves | $102,424,018 |
| 11 | St. Louis Cardinals | $100,624,450 |
| 12 | Toronto Blue Jays | $98,641,957 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Phillies | $98,269,881 |
| 14 | Houston Astros | $88,930,415 |
| 15 | Milwaukee Brewers | $81,004,167 |
| 16 | Cleveland Indians | $78,970,067 |
| 17 | San Francisco Giants | $76,904,500 |
| 18 | Cincinnati Reds | $74,277,695 |
| 19 | San Diego Padres | $73,677,617 |
| 20 | Colorado Rockies | $68,655,500 |
| 21 | Texas Rangers | $68,239,551 |
| 22 | Baltimore Orioles | $67,196,248 |
| 23 | Arizona Diamondbacks | $66,202,713 |
| 24 | Minnesota Twins | $62,182,767 |
| 25 | Kansas City Royals | $58,245,500 |
| 26 | Washington Nationals | $54,961,000 |
| 27 | Pittsburgh Pirates | $49,365,283 |
| 28 | Oakland Athletics | $47,967,126 |
| 29 | Tampa Bay Rays | $43,820,598 |
| 30 | Florida Marlins | $21,836,500 |
In spite of ranking 24th of the 30 teams overall, their average salary of $2,487,311 comes in 20th. With nearly a 13% decrease from 2007, this is the Twins lowest Opening Day payroll since 2005. While in the last ten years the Yankee payroll has more than doubled, Minnesota's has more than tripled.
| Year | Team Salary | MLB Rank |
| 2008 | $62,182,767 | 24/30 |
| 2007 | $71,439,500 | 19/30 |
| 2006 | $63,396,006 | 19/30 |
| 2005 | $56,186,000 | 20/30 |
| 2004 | $53,585,000 | 19/30 |
| 2003 | $65,318,977 | 18/30 |
| 2002 | $41,309,031 | 27/30 |
| 2001 | $24,350,000 | 30/30 |
| 2000 | $16,519,500 | 30/30 |
| 1999 | $19,242,500 | 28/30 |
Just an interesting look. Happy Thursday, everyone.