Red Sox Enter 2013 Season With Fourth-Highest Payroll In MLB
BOSTON (CBS) -- Expectations for the Red Sox 2013 campaign aren't exactly through the roof in Boston on opening day, but if payroll is to be a guide in preseason predictions, perhaps fans should hold the Red Sox to a high standard this year.
USA Today released MLB teams' payrolls on Monday, and the Red Sox enter the season with the fourth-highest payroll in the bigs at $150.66 million.
The Yankees, unsurprisingly, top the list at $228.8 million, up a whopping 16 percent from last season. The Dodgers ($216.6 million) are right behind the Yankees at No. 2, while the Phillies ($165.39 million) are at No. 3, in front of the Red Sox.
For the Sox, who finished 69-93 last season, the 2013 payroll is a 13 percent drop from last year, as the team was able to shed the massive contracts of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford back in August. This year, the Red Sox enter the season with their lowest payroll since 2009.
The rest of the AL East after the Yankees and Red Sox rounds up with the Blue Jays ($117.53 million) at No. 9, the Orioles ($90.99 million) at No. 15 and the Rays ($57.9 million) at No. 28, ahead of only the Marlins and Astros.
