Top 10 highest paid MLB athletes

Explore the top 10 highest paid players of MLB.

Top 10 highest paid MLB athletes

Max Scherzer (L) Shohei Ohtani (C) and Justin Verlander (R) [Image via Imago/The Boston Globe]

In the professional realms of sports, the money involved is one of the thing that attracts a lot of headlines. Whether it is the four top sports leagues of USA in the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, or others such as golf, the paychecks are always big.

When it comes to the Major League Baseball (MLB), the money involved has gone up significantly in recent years. Several big names have signed nine-digit contracts that have made them rich.

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Recently, Sportico released the list for the top-100 highest-paid players in the world. There was no surprise to see soccer megastar Cristiano Ronaldo on being top of the list following his move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr.

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The top 10 included the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Jon Rahm. Surprisingly, no baseball star was in the top 10. The highest was Shohei Ohtani who ranked 14th on the list. Apart from him, there are 12 more stars who made this list. Let’s delve deep into this article and check out the top 10 highest-paid MLB players.

Top 10 highest-paid MLB players

10. Stephen Strasburg

Coming into the number 10 spot is Stephen Strasburg. The Washington Nationals ace pitcher has suffered several injuries in the past but he continues to remain as one of the highest paid player.

Stephen Strasburg
Stephen Strasburg (Image via Imago)

The pitcher played a huge part in the team’s 2019 World Series triumph and was named the MVP of the series. He would later sign a seven-year $245 million contract. As a result of this deal, Strasburg makes around $33.6 million from salary and around $50k from endorsements to wrap up his total income at $33.6 million.

9. Carlos Correa

Carlos Correa is another player who has made his mark in recent season. The former Houston Astros star achieved plenty of success during his time in Houston and is now becoming a top member of the Minnesota Twins.

Carlos Correa
Carlos Correa (Image via CNN)

Since joining the American League Central side, Correa has made a huge fortune. The 29-year-old is reported to had made around $36 million from his current salary and bonuses. With the endorsement deals adding another $1 million, Correa made $37 million in 2023.

8. Corey Seager

Jumping from one shortstop to another, Number eight on the top earners from MLB is Corey Seager. The year 2023 turned out to be fantastic one for him as he played an important part in Texas Rangers’ winning the World Series.

Corey Seager
Corey Seager (Image via Forbes)

Seager’s total earnings in 2023 saw him make around $35.5 million. Apart from this, his other sponsorship and endorsement deals saw him make $2 million more which eventually took his total earnings to $37.5 million for the year.

7. Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole is not only one of the best pitchers of the game, he is also one of the richest in the business. The New York Yankees ace has made the same amount compared to Seager but sits one spot above him due to his salary.

Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Cole (Image via AP)

The pitcher had signed a massive deal with the Yankees when he joined them and the result of this can be seen. The 2023 Cy Young Award winner made around $36 million through his yearly salary and earnings. On top of that, he received $1 million from various sponsorship deals.

6. Anthony Rendon

While Anthony Rendon maybe have become a shadow of his former self, he stills continues to top the earning charts. A large factor for this is the huge contract that he signed with the Los Angeles Angels after the 2019 season.

Anthony Rendon
Anthony Rendon (Image via Imago)

While Rendon continues to be sidelined with injuries, he made huge money in 2023 as well. The third baseman $38 million from his salary alone. On the other hand his sponsorships have yielded him another profit of around $250k, taking his total income to $38.2 million.

5. Mike Trout

Another Los Angeles Angeles player on this list is Mike Trout. The baseball star is considered one of the modern day greats of the game. To have such greatness in their squad, a team needs to pay them huge amount of money.

Mike Trout
Mike Trout (Image via Imago)

Trout signed a massive $426 million, 12-year deal with the Angels in 2019. The Angels star made $35.5 million from his yearly salary. His sponsorship and endorsement deals have brought him another $5 million, making him a $40.5 million dollar man.

4. Aaron Judge

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge is currently the fourth highest-paid player of MLB. The slugger has been one of the top performers of the game in recent seasons and won the 2022 American League MVP.

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge (Image via Imago)

While Judge was unable to replicate the heroics in 2023 due to several injuries, he continued to go strong in money making. Judge made $40 million from his salary and another $4 million from his sponsorship deals, taking his total earning of the year to a respectable amount of $44 million.

3. Justin Verlander

Coming in at number three in the list if veteran pitcher Justin Verlander. Following a successful 2022 season where he won the World Series with the Astros and claimed another Cy Young Award, he joined the New York Mets on a massive deal.

Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander (Image via Imago)

However, things did not work out well for him there and he was traded back to the Astros, midway through the season. Speaking of this earnings, due to his big contract and sponsorship deals, Verlander has made a total amount of $44.5 million in 2023.

2. Max Scherzer

At one point, Max Scherzer was the highest paid MLB player. This was largely due to the fact of his two-year $86.6 million deal with the New York Mets. Just like Verlander, “Mad Max” was unable to perform with the expectations put on him and was traded to the Rangers in 2023.

Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer (Image via AP)

This trade did not stop Scherzer from making money though. The veteran pitcher amazed a staggering fortune of $58.8 million through his salary. He collected another $2 million from his endorsement deals which saw him make $60.8 million in 2023.

1. Shohei Ohtani

As mentioned above, the highest paid player in MLB world is Shohei Ohtani. The two-way phenom stunned the world when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a massive $700 million deal.

Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani ( Image via Imago )

Ohtani is reported to have made $30 million through his salary and yearly earnings. However, he made more than the double of it through his various sponsorship and endorsement deals. Due to his high popularity in both United States and Japan, the 29-year collected another $40 million from this deal, taking his total to $70 million.

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