MLB salaries hit record high; average player makes more than $4 million

If you happen to be out for dinner with a big leaguer, there’s a pretty good chance he’s the one that will pick up the tab, especially if he plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to a study by The Associated Press, the average major league salary in 2015 projects to be around $4.25 million, the first time that figure has ever been above $4 million. The average salary was $3.95 million in 2014 and $3.65 million the season before that.

Just less than a week ago, Forbes reported that the value of major league teams had skyrocketed to an unprecedented level. There’s never been more money in baseball and there’s plenty to go around.

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Here’s a tidy infographic from the AP detaling the rapidly rising salaries in baseball as well as this season’s most and least expensive team payrolls:

It’s no surprise to see the Dodgers top the list of the league’s big spenders, seeing as they have the highest-paid and third-highest paid players in the league in left-hander Clayton Kershaw ($31 million) and right-hander Zack Greinke ($27 million).

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That’s right, the Dodgers are paying two starting pitchers over 85 percent of the Marlins’ total payroll. Baseball’s great, isn’t it?

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr