The Royals retain that coveted financial flexibility going forward.
The Royals fielded an Opening Day payroll of $88.9 million in 2021, keeping player expenses close to level despite financial losses last year. Around baseball, teams were cutting payroll left and right and claiming $1.8 billion in financial losses due to the shortened pandemic season that had no fans in attendance.
Last year, teams were projected to spend $4.9 billion on player...