Quote:The struggling New York Yankees will be hit with a record luxury tax this year. Initial projections by the commissioner's office based on opening-day rosters have the Yankees owing $30,637,531, according to information obtained this week by The Associated Press.

The only other team projected to owe a tax is the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, who would pay $969,177.

Teams with payrolls above $128 million owe tax this year. The Yankees pay at a rate of 40 percent for the amount they are over because they will be exceeding the threshold for the third time under the labor contract that began in 2003. The Red Sox, projected to be over for the second time, pay at a 30 percent rate.

<a href='http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050421/D89JFPA80.html' target='_blank'>http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050421/D.../D89JFPA80.html</a>


That means that they will pay more in luxury taxes than the Devils Rays do for their entire team ($29.3 mil). And according to onestopbaseball.com's figures, the Yanks have an $85 million advantage over the Red Sox, who come in a distant 2nd place with a $123 mil payroll. That $85 mil difference is more than 20 other teams' payrolls.

<a href='http://www.onestopbaseball.com/TeamPayroll.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.onestopbaseball.com/TeamPayroll.asp</a>

I guess thats what you get when you have an owner that willing to win at literally all costs...