Pay-Rod: $lugger Makes More Than Marlins

After inking his new deal with the Yankees that made him baseball's highest-paid player, Alex Rodriguez is earning $28 million a year, reports the AP—while the Marlins are paying out just $21.8 million to the 33 players on their opening-day roster and disabled list. The Yankees, meanwhile, are once again the runaway team salary leaders in 2008, with a $209 million tab.

The Marlins "have won a championship more recently than we have as an organization. So there's many different ways to skin a cat," said the Yankees' GM about the pay disparity. The Tigers, after a new deal with Miguel Cabrera, are second in the team rankings at $139 million. The Mets are third and the Red Sox fourth. Florida’s payroll is less than half the size of the next lowest team, and no Marlin makes the league’s average salary. (More baseball stories.)