The average salary in Major League Baseball rose 4.4 per cent to $US4.38 million ($A5.71 million) on the opening day of the 2016 season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers topped spending for the third straight season with $US234m ($A305 million), according to a study of contract terms by The Associated Press.
The Chicago Cubs boosted payroll by $US51 million ($A66.5 million), adding Jason Heyward, John Lackey and Ben Zobrist in an effort to win their first title since 1908.
After beating the Cubs in the National League Championship Series and losing to Kansas City in the World Series, the New York Mets hiked spending by nearly $US38 million ($A49.5 million).
Houston, coming off their first playoff appearance in a decade, raised payroll by almost $US26 million ($A33.9 million) after starting last season with the lowest in the major leagues, and St Louis also rose by nearly the same amount.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, at $US33 million ($A43 million), is the highest-paid player for the second straight year.
Former teammate Zack Greinke, who left to sign with Arizona, is second at $US31.8 million ($A41.5 million), followed by Boston pitcher David Price at $US30 million ($A39 million).
The Dodgers began the season at $233.9 million, down from a record $US270.2 million ($A352 million) when 2015 began.
The New York Yankees, No.1 for 15 straight years before the Dodgers' payroll surge, are second at $US225 million followed by Detroit ($US196 million), Boston ($US190 million) and San Francisco ($US173 million).
The average for the 864 players on opening-day rosters, the disabled list and the restricted list was $US4,381,980 ($A5.71 million), and the percentage increase was the lowest since a 4.1 rise in 2012.
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