How Much Do Baseball Players Make?

How much do baseball players make? It all depends on their experience and skills.

MLB Salaries

In 2019, the average Major League Baseball player will make $4.36 million per year. This is up from $4.17 million in 2018. The median salary for MLB players is $1.25 million per year. MLB salaries have been on the rise in recent years. In 2016, the average MLB salary was $4.09 million. In 2017, it was $4.11 million. In 2018, it was $4.17 million. And in 2019, it is $4.36 million. The highest-paid player in MLB history is Alex Rodriguez, who made $275 million from 2001 to 2017.

Major League Baseball Salaries by Team

The following is a list of Major League Baseball salaries by team. These figures are as of the 2019 season.

-Arizona Diamondbacks: $131,736,666
-Atlanta Braves: $149,837,167
-Baltimore Orioles: $115,737,833
-Boston Red Sox: $228,023,854
-Chicago Cubs: $217,008,714
-Chicago White Sox: $127,567,429
-Cincinnati Reds: $115,526,798
-Cleveland Indians: $142,370,887
-Colorado Rockies: $145,165,250
-Detroit Tigers: $120,786,333
-Houston Astros: $164,197,750
-Kansas City Royals: $144,158,333
-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: $190,033,333
-Los Angeles Dodgers: $233 million -Highest Payroll in MLB history!
-Miami Marlins: $$56 million – Lowest Payroll in MLB history!
-Milwaukee Brewers :$118 million
New York Mets :$153 million -Second Highest Payroll in MLB history! ### tied with NY Yankees apparently… 🙁 source below.

New York Yankees :$226 million -Second Highest Payroll in MLB history! ### tied with NY Mets apparently… 🙁 source below.

Oakland Athletics :$93 million source below.

Philadelphia Phillies :$155 million source below.

Pittsburgh Pirates :$67 million source below.

San Diego Padres :$88 million source below.

San Francisco Giants :$128 million source below.

Seattle Mariners :$135 million source below.

St. Louis Cardinals :$132 million source below.

Tampa Bay Rays :$61 million source below. ### Lowest payroll for 2018 was Milwaukee at 60 millions.. so they are catching up! LOL

Texas Rangers :$137 million source below.

Toronto Blue Jays :$155 million ### payroll for 2020 was 153 millions according to spotrac…so they are gaining on the teams above them! LOL #gojaysgo

Average MLB Salaries by Position

In 2019, the average salary for a Major League Baseball player was $4,097,502. Here is a breakdown of average salaries by position, according to Spotrac.com:

Catcher – $3,215,333
First base – $4,836,667
Second base – $3,619,667
Third base – $5,049,167
Shortstop – $4,325,833
Outfielder – $4,398,333
Designated hitter – $2,658,333

MLB Contracts

A Major League Baseball contract is a binding agreement between a player and a team that outlines the terms of the player’s employment. The contract stipulates the amount of money the player will be paid, the length of the contract, and any other perks or benefits the player may receive. Let’s take a look at how these contracts are structured and how much money MLB players make.

Major League Baseball Contracts by Team

The following is a list of Major League Baseball contracts. These include the top-paid players by average annual salary, as well as the highest-paid players by total contract value. The list does not include minor league contracts, contracts with foreign clubs, prorated signing bonuses, or performance bonuses.

Top-Paid Players by Average Annual Salary:

1. Mike Trout – $34.1 million (Los Angeles Angels)
2. Gerrit Cole – $36 million (New York Yankees)
3. Stephen Strasburg – $35 million (Washington Nationals)
4. Max Scherzer – $31 million (Washington Nationals)
5. Zack Greinke – $34 million (Houston Astros)
6. Justin Verlander – $33 million (Houston Astros)
7. Miguel Cabrera – $32 million (Detroit Tigers)
8. Albert Pujols – $28 million (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
9. Felix Hernandez – $27 million (Seattle Mariners)
10. Robinson Cano – $24 million (New York Mets)

Average MLB Contracts by Position

There is a lot of money in baseball. In 2019, the average major league player will make $4.36 million, up from $4.17 million in 2018.

The following is a list of the average MLB contracts by position as of 2019:

Catchers: $3.15 million
First basemen: $5.58 million
Second basemen: $4.46 million
Third basemen: $5.29 million
Shortstops: $5.51 million
Outfielders: $4.95 million
Designated hitters/pinch hitters: $3.83 million
Starting pitchers: $7.22 million
Relief pitchers: $2.92 million

MLB Free Agents

Baseball players are free to sign with any team that offers them a contract, there are no restrictions. A free agent is a professional baseball player who is free to sign with any team in Major League Baseball, without regard to that team’s current roster.

Major League Baseball Free Agents by Team

There are a few factors that play into how much money a baseball player will make as a free agent. The first is their recent performances. Obviously, if a player is coming off of a few great seasons, they will be in line for a bigger payday than someone who has been struggling. The second factor is the team’s needs. If a team is in dire need of a certain type of player, they may be willing to pay more to get him. Finally, the market for that particular type of player will also play a role. If there are a lot of teams looking for starting pitchers, for example, the prices for those players will go up.

Here is a list of all of the major league baseball free agents by team:

Atlanta Braves: None

Baltimore Orioles: Pedro Alvarez (DH), Wieters (C), Trumbo (OF/DH)

Boston Red Sox: Ortiz (DH), Bogaerts (SS), Buchholz (SP), Sandoval (3B)

Chicago Cubs: Arrieta (SP), Lester (SP), Fowler (OF), Maddon (manager)

Chicago White Sox: Danks (SP), Samardzija (SP), Latos (SP), Shields Zika virus restrictions may limit ability to host games(SP) Sonnier says city could lose some games because it’s difficult to find enough housing for visiting teams amid travel restrictions tied to the outbreak..

Cincinnati Reds:None

Cleveland Indians: None

Colorado Rockies: Chatwood (SP), Rusin SP>, Lyles SP>, Flores RP>, Motte RP>

Detroit Tigers: Upton OF>, Jhong-jun Ryu SP>, Rondon RP> should be tendered

Houston Astros: Colby Rasmus OF> pending results of physical Should be tendered

Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon OF>, Ventura SP>, Davis RP> agreed to two-year $10 million contract with Cubs on 12/16 , Hosmer 1B> , Mondesi SS>

Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout OF>, David Murphy OF>, C.J. Wilson SP>, Huston Street RP> Should be tendered

Los Angeles Dodgers Zack Greinke SP>, Howie Kendrick 2B>, Jimmy Rollins SS> Yaisel Puig RF> Can opt out of contract , Aroldis Chapman RP> has not been officially extended qualifying offer

Miami Marlins Wei-Yin Chen SP>, Michael Morse 1B/OF>. Jarred Cosart SP>. Jeff Mathis C>. Fernando Rodney RP>. Dee Gordon 2B>. Christian Yelich LF>. Martin Prado 3B>. Adeiny Hechavarria SS>. Henderson Alvarez SP/> Marcell Ozuna CF/> Giancarlo Stanton RF/> Has not been officially extended qualifying offer Not eligible for one Undergoing domestic arbitration

Milwaukee Brewers Adam Lind 1B/DH>. Gerardo Parra LF/RF>. Francisco Rodriguez RP>. Matt Garza SP/. Aoki LF/> Kyle Lohse SP/> Scooter Gennett 2B/> Jean Segura SS/> Will Middlebrooks 3B/> Khris Davis RF/> All have been officially extended qualifying offers except Garza and Aoki . Gennett and Segura are eligible for arbitration . Milwaukee has until December 2nd to offer arbitration to Garza and Aoki They have until December 7th to accept or reject any offers made by other teams

Minnesota Twins Phil Hughes SP/, Torii Hunter OF/, Blaine Boyer RP/, Mike Pelfrey SP/, Kevin Jepsen RP/. Brian DuensingRP/, Glen Perkins CP/, Casey Fein RP/, Trevor May RHP/. Aaron Hicks CF/. Oswaldo Arcia RF/. Eduardo Escobar SS/. Kurt Suzuki C/. Kyle Gibson RHP/. Ervin Santana RHP/. Ricky Nolasco RHP_> Torii Hunter has said he wants to come back next season Gil Meche’s death casts pall over potential season Blaine Boyer had Tommy John surgery in September and will miss the entire 2017 season . Byung-ho Park was non-tendered and is now a free agent . He can sign with any team.

Average MLB Free Agents by Position

As the 2019 MLB season comes to a close, many players will be hitting the free-agent market. Here is a look at the average annual salaries of free agents by position, according to Spotrac.

Pitcher: $10.8 million
Catcher: $5.9 million
First baseman: $9.6 million
Second baseman: $8.2 million
Third baseman: $9 million
Shortstop: $9.4 million
Outfielder: $9.7 million
Designated hitter: $8.7 million