For the first time in recorded history, the Red Sox own the highest payroll in baseball.
The Associated Press has tracked team spending via numbers compiled by Major League Baseball since 1990, and the Red Sox top the list this year, with a projected Opening Day payroll of $223 million.
The Red Sox unseated the Dodgers, who had been the biggest spenders in each of the last four years. They also checked in more than $50 million ahead of the Yankees, who finished seventh at $167 million, which is their lowest payroll since 2003.
The last time the Yankees ranked seventh, per the AP, was 1992. They led baseball in payroll every year except one between 1994 and 2013.
How did the Red Sox get here? Despite fielding a relatively young roster, they feature a number of players among the highest-paid in the game. Left-hander David Price makes $30 million, which is tied for fourth-highest in baseball. J.D. Martinez ($23.75 million), Hanley Ramirez ($22.75 million), and Rick Porcello ($21.2 million) are each over $20 million, with Dustin Pedroia ($16 million) and the ghost of Pablo Sandoval ($18 million) near that mark, too.
The total doesn't even include the nearly $12 million owed outfielder Rusney Castillo, who isn't on the 40-man roster.
