Average baseball salary climbs to $3.2 million

Not surprisingly, major-league baseball players are making more money than ever.

The average salary rose to $3.2 million this year, an increase of 3.8 percent over 2011, according to figures released Friday by the Major League Baseball Players' Association. It was the biggest increase since 2007, fueled in part by a rise in the minimum salary from $414,000 to $480,000.

The New York Yankees led the way with the highest average at $6.88 million. Next was the Los Angeles Dodgers at $5.55 million

At the bottom was the Houston Astros at $685,000, which was the lowest figure since the 2006 Florida Marlins.

In the past 20 years, the average player salary has risen almost $1 million, from 2,372,189 in 2003 to $3,213,479 in 2012. Likewise, the minimum salary has climbed $180,000 from 2003 when it was $300,000.