Bomber payroll dwarfs other playoff teams

The Yankees entered the postseason with a record payroll of nearly $203 million, triple that of the Padres. The Bombers' payroll as of Aug. 31, the last day before active rosters expanded, was a major league-record $202,978,809. Among the other playoff teams, the World Series champion Red Sox were second at $126,800,160, and the Angels were fifth at $96,140,560. The NL champion Cardinals had the highest payroll among the NL playoff teams, 10th at $83,510,604, and the Astros were 11th at $77,453,843. The Braves were 12th at $74,977,433.

Among the four AL playoff teams, the White Sox had the lowest payroll, 13th in the majors at $74,273,478. The Padres were 15th in the big leagues at $70,503,572. The figures, which do not include earned performance bonuses, are unofficial. They are for 25-man rosters and players on the disabled list, and included prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income. Final payroll figures, which include both performance and award bonuses, will not be available until late December. (NY Post)