Tigers payroll rises, again

It's certainly been a busy off season for the Tigers. Eight of the 25 players on the 25 man roster have departed via free agency. Prince Fielder and Doug Fister have been traded, and another nine players who were eligible for arbitration at the end of the 2013 season have agreed to new one year contracts.

When you add it all up. the Tiger payroll comes in just above $ 160 million, which will keep the club as one of the top five payrolls in the major leagues. The 2013 payroll was just under $ 149 million, fifth highest in the major leagues. Here is the breakdown of the expected Tiger roster and their 2014 salaries.

Total payroll: 160,987,500.00

The exact number will be slightly higher than the above total, as the club will agree to pay some second year players a bit above the major league minimum of $ 500,000. But the number will not change if another player fills in the final roster spots in place of another player set to earn the major league minimum. Should a player such as Phil Coke or Don Kelly be released prior to the season and replaced by a player earning the minimum, the club will save some money.