Mariners notebook: Club’s payroll on opening day ranks 12th among 30 clubs
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Mariners opened the season Monday with a payroll of $143,061,290 for their 25-man active roster and four players on the disabled list.
That total ranks 12th among the 30 clubs and represents an increase of $23,263,230 over 2015.
The Los Angeles Dodgers again had the highest payroll at $233,933,955, followed by the New York Yankees at $225,218,650. The Milwaukee Brewers ranked last at $62,632,836.
All figures were obtained by The Associated Press and include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses.
The Los Angeles Angels had the highest payroll among teams in the American League West Division at $163,677,333, which ranked seventh overall. Texas ranked eighth at $149,338,553.
Houston is 23rd at $95,074,200, and Oakland is 27th at $86,806,233.
Pitcher Felix Hernandez remains the Mariners’ highest-paid player at $25,857,143, followed by second baseman Robinson Cano at $24,000,000, designated hitter Nelson Cruz at $14,250,000 and pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma at $10,976,096.
The Mariners have 10 players who are making more than the major league average of $4,381,980.
RAINIERS SET ROSTER
Triple-A Tacoma announced its roster Monday along with the Mariners’ other three full-season affiliates. The Rainiers have 10 players who are on the Mariners’ 40-man roster (bold).
Pitchers (13): Jonathan Aro, Casey Coleman, Justin De Fratus, Paul Fry, Mayckol Guaipe, Steve Johnson, Cody Martin, Blake Parker, James Paxton, Donn Roach, David Rollins, Adrian Sampson and Joe Wieland.
Catchers (2): Steve Lerud and Mike Zunino.
Infielders (6): Mike Baxter, Ed Lucas, Efren Navarro, Shawn O’Malley, Tyler Smith and Chris Taylor.
Outfielders (4): Dario Pizzano, Boog Powell, Daniel Robertson and Stefen Romero.
Tacoma opens the season at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against Albuquerque (Rockies) at Cheney Stadium.
LENGTHENING ODDS
The Mariners’ many off-season moves didn’t resonate with oddsmakers at www.Bovada.lv, an online gaming site that rates the club as a 40/1 shot to win the World Series in its updated odds.
They were pegged at 25/1 on Nov. 2.
The Chicago Cubs are the top pick at 5/1, followed by San Francisco at 8/1 and Toronto at 10/1. Three clubs tied for last at 150/1: Atlanta, Colorado and Philadelphia.
Bovada has the Mariners as a 4/1 pick to win the AL West. Houston is a 5/4 favorite, followed by Texas at 11/4. Los Angeles is 4/1 and Oakland is 10/1.
LOOKING BACK
It was 16 years ago Tuesday — April 5, 2000 — that Jay Buhner hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat of the season and led the Mariners to a 9-3 victory over Boston at Safeco Field.
Buhner’s blast capped a five-run first inning against Ramon Martinez and provided a big early cushion for Freddy Garica, who labored through 93 over five innings before three relievers closed out the victory.
The five-run first came one day after the Mariners managed just two hits against Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe in a 2-0 loss on opening day.
SHORT HOPS
Ken Griffey Jr. will throw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday in the Mariners’ home opener at Safeco Field…The Mariners opened the season with an MLB-high 13 foreign-born players on their roster…The Mariners entered the season with the oldest roster in in the majors with an average player age of 30 years and 251 days…the Mariners’ 14-year postseason drought is the longest in baseball. The second-longest is Miami, which has gone 12 years since winning the 2003 World Series. The second-longest drought among American League teams is the Chicago White Sox at seven years.
ON TAP
The Mariners continue their three-game series against the Rangers at 5:05 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. Right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma (9-5, 3.54 in 2015) will oppose Texas lefty Martin Perez (3-6, 4.46).
The game can be seen on Root Sports Northwest.
The series concludes at 11:05 a.m. Pacific time Wednesday when left-hander Wade Miley (11-11, 4.46 with Boston) faces Texas right-hander Colby Lewis (17-9, 4.66).
Bob Dutton: @TNT_Mariners
2016 MARINERS PLAYER SALARIES
Player Salary
Felix Hernandez, $25,857,143
Robinson Cano, $24,000,000
Nelson Cruz, $14,250,000
Hisashi Iwakuma, $10,976,096
Adam Lind, $8,000,000
Kyle Seager, $8,000,000
Joaquin Benoit, $7,500,000
Seth Smith, $6,750,000
Wade Miley, $6,166,667
Nori Aoki, $5,500,000
Chris Iannetta, $4,250,000
Leonys Martin, $4,150,000
Steve Cishek, $4,000,000
dl-Charlie Furbush, $1,600,000
Franklin Gutierrez, $1,500,000
Joel Peralta, $1,250,000
dl-Ryan Cook, $1,100,000
Dae-Ho Lee, $1,000,000
dl-Evan Scribner, $807,500
Vidal Nuno, $532,900
Taijuan Walker, $528,600
Nick Vincent, $525,500
Nathan Karns, $523,700
Steve Clevenger, $516,500
Ketel Marte, $515,400
Mike Montgomery, $515,000
Luis Sardinas, $512,000
dl-Jesus Sucre, $512,000
Tony Zych, $511,000
dl — denotes player is on disabled list.
Source: The Associated Press
2016 TEAM PAYROLLS
Team Payroll
1. Los Angeles Dodgers, $233,933,955
2. New York Yankees, $225,218,650
3. Detroit Tigers, $196,476,481
4. Boston Red Sox, $190,377,215
5. San Francisco Giants, $173,203,278
6. Chicago Cubs, $170,266,598
7. Los Angeles Angels, $163,677,333
8. Texas Rangers, $149,338,553
9. Washington Nationals, $147,302,646
10. St. Louis Cardinals, $145,678,500
11. Baltimore Orioles, $145,646,213
12. Seattle Mariners, $143,061,290
13. Toronto Blue Jays, $138,507,028
14. New York Mets, $137,930,932
15. Kansas City Royals, $136,835,977
16. Chicago White Sox, $115,248,667
17. Colorado Rockies, $113,335,071
18. Minnesota Twins, $105,333,700
19. San Diego Padres, $100,583,919
20. Pittsburgh Pirates, $100,285,500
21. Atlanta Braves, $98,879,148
22. Arizona Diamondbacks, $96,715,063
23. Houston Astros, $95,074,200
24. Philadelphia Phillies, $94,784,667
25. Cincinnati Reds, $93,244,403
26. Cleveland Indians, $89,711,800
27. Oakland Athletics, $86,806,233
28. Miami Marlins, $77,407,795
29. Tampa Bay Rays, $67,172,009
30. Milwaukee Brewers, $62,632,836
Source: The Associated Press
This story was originally published April 4, 2016 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Mariners notebook: Club’s payroll on opening day ranks 12th among 30 clubs."