Who Makes The Most Money In Baseball?
Contents
It’s no secret that baseball players are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world. But just how much money do they make? We break it down by position.
The Players
The answer to this question may surprise you. It’s the players! The players are the ones who make the most money in baseball. This is because they are the ones who generate the most revenue for the team. They do this by playing well and winning games.
The Highest-Paid Players
In Major League Baseball, the average salary for a player is just over $4 million. However, there are always a few players who stand out above the rest and make significantly more money than the average player. These are typically the players who have been in the league for many years and have built up a large fan base. In 2019, the highest-paid player in baseball was Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, who made $37.67 million. The second-highest paid player was Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who made $35.54 million.
The Players with the Biggest Contracts
In baseball, a lot of money is at stake. In 2019, the total payroll for all 30 MLB teams was just over $4 billion. The average player salary was $4.36 million. But some players are paid significantly more than others. Who are the highest-paid players in baseball?
The answer might surprise you. It’s not always the players with the best stats who are making the most money. In some cases, it’s veteran players who have been in the league for many years and have built up a large following of fans. In other cases, it’s young players who are just starting out and have yet to prove themselves but who have been given a large contract in order to lure them to a particular team.
So, without further ado, here are the 10 highest-paid MLB players for the 2019 season, according to Spotrac:
1. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies: $30 million
2. Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks: $34 million
3. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees: $36 million
4. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: $37.67 million
5. Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals: $38.33 million
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The Teams
The New York Yankees make the most money in baseball. In 2018, the Yankees had a revenue of $627 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers are in second place with a revenue of $594 million. The Boston Red Sox are in third place with a revenue of $585 million.
The Most Valuable Teams
What are the most valuable baseball teams?
Forbes magazine releases an annual ranking of the most valuable baseball teams, and the list below shows the top 5 teams from 2018.
1. New York Yankees – $4 billion
2. Los Angeles Dodgers – $3 billion
3. Boston Red Sox – $2.8 billion
4. Chicago Cubs – $2.3 billion
5. San Francisco Giants – $2.25 billion
The Teams with the Highest Revenue
The following teams are the top 5 teams in baseball by revenue, according to Forbes.
1. New York Yankees- $527 million
2. Los Angeles Dodgers- $494 million
3. Boston Red Sox- $443 million
4. Chicago Cubs- $452 million
5. San Francisco Giants- $419 million
The League
The average Major League Baseball salary is just over $4 million, but that number varies greatly from team to team. The New York Yankees have the highest payroll in baseball at over $228 million, while the Tampa Bay Rays have the lowest at just over $60 million. Obviously, the Yankees can afford to pay their players more because they generate more revenue.
The MLB’s Revenue
The MLB’s revenue is generated through a variety of sources, including ticket sales, merchandise sales, broadcast rights fees, and stadium naming rights. In 2019, the league generated a total of $10.7 billion in revenue. The vast majority of that revenue (74%) came from television and radio broadcasting rights fees. Other significant sources of revenue include baseball Park naming rights (8%), sponsorship deals (7%), and ticket sales (6%).
MLB’s TV Ratings
After years of decline, MLB’s TV ratings are on the rebound. The league saw a 5% increase in viewership last season, with an average of 1.4 million viewers per game across all networks. That’s still well below the 2.6 million average in 2008, but it’s a sign that baseball is regaining its place in the national consciousness.
There are a number of factors driving the rebound in MLB’s TV ratings. One is simply the fact that more people are watching television overall. According to Nielsen, the average American household spends more than 11 hours per day consuming media, up from 10 hours just a few years ago. That extra hour can make a big difference when it comes to baseball’s ability to reach audiences.
Additionally, the league has made a concerted effort to improve its online and mobile offerings, making it easier for fans to watch games even when they’re away from their television sets. And finally, there’s been an uptick in competitive balance across MLB, with more teams in contention for playoff spots than in recent years. That creates more excitement and incentive for fans to tune in.
