What’s the Highest Paid Baseball Player?

At some point in every baseball fan’s life, they’ve wondered what the highest paid baseball player is. Here’s a look at the top 10 highest paid baseball players of all time.

Introduction

In baseball, as in other professional sports, there is a lot of money to be made. Players can earn millions of dollars per year in salary, bonuses, and other forms of compensation.

So, what’s the highest paid baseball player? The answer may surprise you.

According to an analysis by Spotrac, a website that tracks sports salaries, the highest paid baseball player is Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis. Davis will earn an estimated $33 million in 2019, including $17 million in salary and a $16 million signing bonus.

Second on the list is Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who is set to earn $32 million in 2019. Trout’s salary for the year is $33.25 million, but he will pay $1 million to his former team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, as part of a signing bonus from his 2012 contract extension.

Rounding out the top five are Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper ($26 million), Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price ($31 million), and New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia ($28 million).

The Highest Paid Players by Position

In baseball, the highest paid player is usually a pitcher. This is because they are the ones who have the most responsibility for winning games. Catchers are the second highest paid position, followed by first basemen and then outfielders. Finally, the lowest paid position is typically second basemen.

Catchers

Catchers are one of the most important players on a baseball team, and they are also some of the highest-paid players in the sport. The following is a list of the top 10 highest-paid catchers in Major League Baseball for the 2019 season.

1. Buster Posey – $22.2 million
2. Yadier Molina – $20 million
3. Wilson Ramos – $19 million
4. Gary Sanchez – $17.2 million
5. Jason Castro – $8 million
6. Robinson Chirinos – $7.5 million
7. Welington Castillo – $6.75 million
8. Kurt Suzuki – $5.5 million
9 Tucker Barnhart – $4 million
10 Martin Maldonado – $3.9 million

First Basemen

As MLB teams’ payrolls have exploded in recent years, so too have the salaries of the game’s top stars. Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies leads all first basemen with an annual salary of $26.5 million. Here are the 10 highest-paid first basemen in baseball for the 2019 season.

1. Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies – $26.5 million
2. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves – $22.8 million
3. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds – $22 million
4. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals – $21.33 million
5 Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers – $30 million
6 Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies – $11 million
7 Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs – $16 million
8 Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics – $3 million
9 Wilmer Flores, New York Mets – $3 million
10 Eric Hosmer, San Diego Padres – $21 million

Second Basemen

Robinson Cano is the highest paid second baseman in baseball, earning $24 million annually with the Seattle Mariners. Cano is followed by Ian Kinsler of the Detroit Tigers, who makes $16 million per season. Kinsler is followed by Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox and Brandon Phillips of the Atlanta Braves, who both earn $13 million per season.

Third Basemen

In general, third basemen are paid less than shortstops and second basemen, but more than first basemen and corner outfielders. The average third baseman made $4.4 million in 2012, compared to $3.2 million for first basemen, $2.7 million for second basemen, $4.6 million for shortstops, and $4.5 million for corner outfielders.

The top third baseman in terms of salary is Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, who made $29 million in 2012. The next highest-paid third baseman is Adrian Beltre of the Texas Rangers, who made $16 million in 2012.

Shortstops

In 2019, the highest-paid shortstop in baseball was Manny Machado, who made $30 million. The second highest-paid shortstop was Andrelton Simmons, who made $15 million. Xander Bogaerts was the third highest-paid shortstop, making $12 million.

Outfielders

Not surprisingly, outfielder is the position that has produced the most MLB millionaires. As noted earlier, Alex Rodriguez is the highest-paid player in MLB history, and he is an outfielder. Of the top 20 highest-paid MLB players of all time, six are outfielders. Altuve, Betts, Trout, Harper, Stanton, and Machado have all signed some of the richest contracts in baseball history. In 2019, Trout became baseball’s first $400 million man when he signed a 12-year extension with the Angels.

The Highest Paid Players by Team

The New York Yankees have the highest paid baseball team with an average salary of $8.17 million per year. The Yankees have 7 players on their roster who make over $20 million per year. The Boston Red Sox are second with an average salary of $7.84 million. The Red Sox have 5 players on their roster who make over $20 million per year.

American League

The American League is made up of 14 teams, and the National League has 16. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest payroll in baseball at $198 million, while the Tampa Bay Rays have the lowest at $58 million. Major League Baseball’s Central Funds, generated by television contracts, licensing agreements and playoff revenue, are divided equally among all 30 teams. That money, along with revenue from local sources like ticket sales, concessions and luxury suites, make up each team’s total payroll.

The New York Yankees have the highest payroll in the American League at $193 million. The Yankees’ payroll has decreased slightly from last year when it was $197 million. The Boston Red Sox are second in the AL with a payroll of $155 million, followed by the Detroit Tigers at $148 million and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at $144 million. The Toronto Blue Jays round out the top five with a payroll of $141 million.

The Rays have the lowest payroll in baseball at $58 million, followed by the Oakland Athletics at $66 million and the Pittsburgh Pirates at $68 million. The Kansas City Royals ($70M), Cincinnati Reds ($72M) and Milwaukee Brewers ($73M) all have relatively low payrolls as well.

National League

The following is a list of the highest paid player on each National League team, as of the 2019 season. These figures are compiled from various sources, including Spotrac and Baseball Prospectus.

Atlanta Braves – Freddie Freeman ($22.8 million)
Miami Marlins – Wei-Yin Chen ($20 million)
New York Mets – Noah Syndergaard ($9.7 million)
Philadelphia Phillies – Bryce Harper ($27.5 million)
Washington Nationals – Max Scherzer ($42 million)
Chicago Cubs – Jon Lester ($27 million)
Cincinnati Reds – Joey Votto ($25 million)
Milwaukee Brewers – Ryan Braun ($19 million)
Pittsburgh Pirates – Starling Marte ($11.5 million)
St. Louis Cardinals – Yadier Molina ($20 million)

The Highest Paid Players by Overall Salary

In 2019, the player with the highest salary was Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, with a total pay of $31 million. The second-highest paid player was Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels, with a salary of $28 million. Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers was the third-highest paid player, with a salary of $27 million.

These are the highest paid baseball players in 2019:

1. Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers – $31 million
2. Albert Pujols – Los Angeles Angels – $28 million
3. Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers – $27 million
4. Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds – $25 million
5. Zack Greinke – Arizona Diamondbacks – $24 million
6. Justin Verlander – Houston Astros – $23 million
7. Gerrit Cole – Houston Astros – $20 million
8. Masahiro Tanaka – New York Yankees – $19 million

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can see that the highest paid baseball player in 2020 is Mike Trout, who makes an annual salary of $34.1 million. We can also see that the second highest paid baseball player is Gerrit Cole, who makes an annual salary of $31 million.