Rise in MLB salaries lowest since 2004

Rise in MLB salaries lowest since 2004

NEW YORK

The rise in Major League Baseball’s average salary slowed this year as more players got hurt and wound up on the disabled list, leaving the increase at just under $14,000.

This season’s final average was $3,966,020, the Major League Baseball Players Association said Friday in its annual report, up just 0.35 percent from last year’s $3,952,252. That is the lowest rate of increase since a 2.5 percent drop in 2004.

The commissioner’s office has the Aug. 31 average at $3,825,967, down from $3,835,498 in 2015. The union includes a pro-rated share of option buyouts that may be earned if the option is declined, while MLB does not take those into account in its average.

MLB said total salaries increased from $3.58 billion last year to $3.69 billion for those on Aug. 31 rosters and disabled lists.

There were 964 players on active rosters and DLs on Aug. 31, the last day before the player limit expanded from 25 per team to 40. That is up from 933 last year, and most of the additional players have relatively little major league service time and earn close to the minimum, which was $507,500 this year.

Injuries caused 561 DL placements that led to more than 31,500 days spent on the DL this year, both records.

English soccer player in trouble for gambling

LONDON

English footballer Joey Barton is back in disciplinary trouble after being charged with misconduct for placing 1,260 bets on matches or competitions over a 10-year period.

The English Football Association said the bets were made from March 2006 to May 2016.

Barton this week signed a short-term deal with Premier League team Burnley after cutting short his contract at Scottish club Rangers, where he was handed a one-match suspension for breaking Scottish Football Association rules by placing 44 bets on games between July 1 and Sept. 15.

That suspension will carry over into his Burnley career.

The 34-year-old Barton has until Jan. 5 to respond to the FA charge.

Ex-Yankee Stottlemyre battling blood cancer

Mel Stottlemyre’s son Todd revealed through various social media posts Friday that the former Yankees pitcher is fighting for his life in his battle with a rare blood cancer, Newsday reported on Sunday.

Under a photo of his father pitching on Instagram, Todd added: “Praying hard for you Dad while you continue to fight cancer. I love you pops.”

Stottlemyre, 75, was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma - a disease of the plasma cells in the blood that can manifest in bone pain, kidney failure and neurological problems - in 2000. It is untreatable. After going into remission, Stottlemyre had a recurrence in 2011 and has battled the disease since.

Stottlemyre pitched his entire 11-year career with the Yankees, compiling a 164-139 record and 2.97 ERA despite pitching for some very poor teams and becoming a five-time All-Star in that span.

Hawaii takes seventh at Diamond Head Classic

HONOLULU

Jack Purchase made five 3-pointers and scored 17 points, and Hawaii snapped a four-game losing streak with a 60-46 victory over Southern Mississippi in the seventh-place game of the Diamond Head Classic on Sunday.

Hawaii went on a 10-0 run to stretch its lead to 21 points midway through the second half as Southern Miss went scoreless for five-plus minutes.

Gibson Johnson added 10 points for Hawaii (5-7), which made 10 shots from distance.

Southern Miss was held to 7-of-23 shooting (30 percent) in the first half and finished at 32.7 percent.

Michael Ramey hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points for Southern Miss (3-9), which has lost eight in a row.

Staff/wire report