Published: Wednesday, 12/24/2008

Tigers fourth in payroll; Yankees first

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK The Yankees have no equal in spending, not in winning.

Even before their latest spending spree, the Yankees finished 2008 with a record payroll of $222.5 million.

The Detroit Tigers were fourth at $136.2 million.

The baseball commissioner released the figures, which show the Yankees with a $75.4 million lead over the next-highest spender, the Boston Red Sox at $147.1 million.

New York s luxury tax payment of $26,862,702 was just $141,000 shy of the Florida Marlins entire payroll, which came to $27,003,450.

The New York Mets were third at $144.7 million.

Guidelines: Please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. If a comment violates these standards or our privacy statement or visitor's agreement, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report abuse. To post comments, you must be a Facebook member. To find out more, please visit the FAQ.