The Marlins, Tigers, Rangers and Angels all had hefty boosts in payroll during the offseason along with the Rays and Royals, according to a study of major league contracts by The Associated Press. Some traditional high rollers had huge drops, including the Mets, Cubs and White Sox. "Any time everything's even, it's always better competition," Prince Fielder said Thursday before his first game as the Tigers' new first baseman. The Yankees, of course, remain the king and topped $200M on opening day for the fifth consecutive year. And at $30M, Alex Rodriguez remains the richest of the richest, baseball's highest-paid player for the 12th straight season. The major league average salary rose 4.1 percent to $3.44M, the steepest hike since 2008.