The Major League Baseball Players Association said on Friday that the league's average salary dropped in 2018, according to the Associated Press.
The union's final totals given to the AP listed $4,095,686 as the average salary of players on a 40-man roster as of Aug. 31, which is a $1,436 drop from 2017. It's the first time the average salary has dropped since 2004, and only the fourth time it's happened since 1967.
MLB's calculations differ slightly from the PA's, and the league found a 0.77 percent increase in the average salary from 2017. However, MLB's final figure of $4,007,985 came in lower than the union's average valuation.
Over the last two years, free agency has developed slowly, leading to a somewhat depressed offseason market. Last winter, many veteran players struggled to find work until well into spring training, and even then were often signed to shorter-term deals.
The current free-agent market has also been slow, even though it includes big-name stars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, both of whom are thought to be seeking deals in excess of $300 million.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout drew the largest individual salary last year, earning $33.25 million. The richest contract in the sport belongs to New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who inked a 13-year, $325-million deal in 2015 while playing for the Miami Marlins.
Just two teams - the Washington Nationals and World Series champion Boston Red Sox - paid into the luxury tax in 2018.
