Report: Blue Jays to begin 2017 season with higher payroll

The Toronto Blue Jays will carry a budget of approximately $165 million to start the 2017 season, a 20 percent increase from the starting payroll in 2016, sources told TSN's Rick Westhead.

To end the 2016 season, the Blue Jays ranked 13th in total team salary with a mark of $115.9 million, according to ESPN. With arbitration players included, the team operated at roughly $135 million last year.

With the increased budget, Toronto will have some more wiggle room to sign marquee players.

"As we head into free agency, I'm confident that we're being provided the resources necessary to both sign players and continue to field a championship team," Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro said in an interview with Sportsnet's Shi Davidi on Nov. 8.

The payroll increase from team owner Rogers Communications Inc. dawns on the team after the club led the American League in attendance at 3,392,099, the fifth-highest total in franchise history.

From a television standpoint, their average audience of 1.01 million during the regular season established a new record on Sportsnet, according to Davidi.

In August, the Blue Jays also announced an increase in ticket costs for the third consecutive season, underlining Shapiro's belief that the organization is well-funded and supported.

"There has been support, an understanding of the window of opportunity we're in right now and the importance of trying to field a championship-caliber or contending team," Shapiro said.

"The approach on the business side has to be two-fold. Much like the baseball side, instead of looking for the one or two big areas of opportunity, we have to operate with excellence and high standards across our business and look for hundreds of little opportunities that can make a big impact."