For the first time since 2003, the Sox did not open the season with the second-highest payroll in baseball-- they came in at fourth, behind the Yankees (of course), Tigers and Mets.

That slight increase in frugality did not stop them, however, from putting together an expensive collection of walking injured on the DL. With the addition of Sean Casey last week, the Sox DL payroll checks in at a combined $22.8M ($24.3M if you count Mike Lowell's signing bonus): Curt Schilling ($8M), Mike Lowell ($12M + $1.5M signing bonus), Alex Cora ($2M) and Sean Casey ($0.8M).

That means the Sox' DL payroll is higher than the payroll for the entire Florida Marlins ballclub ($21,836,500). Somewhere, Jeffrey Loria is laughing and laughing... as he rolls around in his piles of money.

Of course, even in DL spending, the Yankees lead the pack-- with the recent addition of Jorge Posada, the Yanks DL payroll tips the scale at $26,170,748: Jorge Posada ($13.1M), Carl Pavano ($11M), Wilson Betemit ($1.165M), Brian Bruney ($.0725M), Sean Henn ($397,448), Jeff Karstens ($0.3933M) and Humberto Sanchez ($0.39M).

figures source: Cot's Baseball Contracts