thumb|right|In 2019, [[Mike Trout signed a 12-year, $426 million contract with the Angels, the richest contract in the history of North American sports at the time.]]
thumb|right|[[Alex Rodriguez earned the highest salary in MLB in 2013 at $28,000,000. He also has the highest career earnings in MLB history, as well as a record 13 years with the highest AAV.|alt=A man in a dark batting helmet, grey baseball uniform, and white gloves holds a baseball bat against the ground with his right hand.]]
Major League Baseball (MLB) does not have a hard salary cap, instead employing a luxury tax that applies to teams whose total payroll exceeds certain set thresholds for a given season. Free agency did not exist in MLB prior to the end of the reserve clause in the 1970s, allowing owners before that time to wholly dictate the terms of player negotiations and resulting in significantly lower salaries.
Babe Ruth, widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players ever, earned an estimated $856,850 ($ inflation-adjusted from 1934 dollars) over his entire playing career. When asked whether he thought he deserved to earn $80,000 a year ($ inflation-adjusted), while the president, Herbert Hoover, had a $75,000 salary, Ruth famously remarked, "What the hell has Hoover got to do with it? Besides, I had a better year than he did."
Pitcher Nolan Ryan was the first player to earn an annual salary above $1 million, signing a $4.5 million, 4-year contract with the Houston Astros in 1979. Kirby Puckett and Rickey Henderson signed the first contracts which paid an average of $3 million a year in November 1989. In 1990, Jose Canseco signed for 5 years and $23.5 million, making him the first player to earn an average of $4 million a year. It wasn't until 2010 when the average salary for all MLB players exceeded $4 million.
Alex Rodriguez signed two record-breaking contracts during his career. First, he signed a $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers in December 2000 ($ inflation-adjusted from 2000 dollars). Baseball executive Sandy Alderson called the deal "stupefying," while Sports Illustrated noted that Rodriguez's early salaries under the contract ($21 million) would be greater than the annual payroll of the entire Minnesota Twins team that year ($15.8 million). Rodriguez then opted out of the remainder of his deal after the 2007 season and renegotiated a new $275 million, 10-year agreement with the Yankees, breaking his own record for the largest sports contract. thumb|Though retired since 2007, Barry Bonds' career earnings of over $192 million still ranks in the top 50 overall in MLB history.|alt=An African American man in a white baseball uniform with "GIANTS" on the chest takes a left-handed baseball swing as a catcher kneels behind him to receive the pitch.Five of the 20 highest-paid players in 2013 were members of the Yankees. Their 2013 payroll was $228,835,490, roughly $12 million above the second-largest Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees have drawn criticism for their payroll, with some claiming it undermines the parity of MLB. From 2003 to 2024, the Yankees' payroll exceeded the luxury tax threshold every year except 2018 and 2021. Following 2020, the Dodgers and New York Mets have led the majors in payroll. The Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a ten-year, $700 million contract before the 2024 season, though most of that money was deferred. Accounting for net present value, Juan Soto signed a larger contract with the Mets before the 2025 season, a 15-year, $765 million contract with no deferred money.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" |Rank
! scope="col" |Name
! scope="col" |Position
! scope="col" |Team(s)
! scope="col" |Salary
|-
!1
|Shohei Ohtani
|DH/SP
|Los Angeles Dodgers
|$70 million
|-
!2
|Kyle Tucker
|OF
|Los Angeles Dodgers
|$60 million
|-
!3
|Juan Soto
|OF
|New York Mets
|$51 million
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" |4
|Zack Wheeler
|SP
|Philadelphia Phillies
| rowspan="2" |$42 million
|-
|Bo Bichette
|3B
|New York Mets
|-
!6
|Aaron Judge
|OF
|New York Yankees
|$40 million
|-
!7
|Jacob deGrom
|SP
|Texas Rangers
|$37 million
|-
!8
|Blake Snell
|SP
|Los Angeles Dodgers
|$36.4 million
|-
!9
|Gerrit Cole
|SP
|New York Yankees
|$36 million
|-
!10
|Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
|1B
|Toronto Blue Jays
|$35.7 million
|-
|}
Top 10 career earnings
:Earnings up to date as of the end of the 2025 season.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Team(s)
! scope="col" | Position
! scope="col" | Years
! scope="col" | Earnings
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| Seattle Mariners<br>Texas Rangers<br>New York Yankees
| SS, 3B
| 1994–2016
| $485.2 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| Detroit Tigers<br>Houston Astros<br>New York Mets<br>San Francisco Giants
| SP
| 2006–Present
| $409.3 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| Florida Marlins<br>Detroit Tigers
| 1B, 3B, DH
| 2003–2023
| $393.2 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
|Arizona Diamondbacks<br>Detroit Tigers<br>Washington Nationals<br>Los Angeles Dodgers<br>New York Mets<br>Texas Rangers<br>Toronto Blue Jays
|SP
|2008–Present
| $345.1 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| St. Louis Cardinals<br>Los Angeles Angels<br>Los Angeles Dodgers
| 1B, 3B, OF, DH
| 2001–2022
| $341.8 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| Kansas City Royals<br>Milwaukee Brewers<br>Los Angeles Angels<br>Los Angeles Dodgers<br>Arizona Diamondbacks<br>Houston Astros
| SP
| 2004–2023
| $328.5 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| Los Angeles Dodgers
| SP
| 2009–2025
| $314.7 million
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|
| Los Angeles Angels
| OF
| 2011-Present
| $303.2 million
|-
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| New York Yankees
| SS
| 1995–2014
| $266.3 million
|-
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Cleveland Indians<br>Milwaukee Brewers<br>New York Yankees
| SP
| 2001–2019
| $265.0 million
|}
Salary progression
thumb|right|[[Nolan Ryan (pictured) became the first player to earn an average salary above $1 million in 1979. 17 years later, Albert Belle became the first player to average above $10 million a year.|alt=A man in a white baseball jersey with "ASTROS" on the chest and orange and yellow stripes on his shoulders pitches a baseball with his right hand.]]
:This list documents the progression of the highest average annual value contracts/contract extensions.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" | Average annual salary
! scope="col" | Date signed
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Team
! scope="col" | Position
! scope="col" | Contract duration<br>(Years)
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Ref(s)
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Boston Red Sox
| OF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Chicago White Sox
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| New York Yankees
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| California Angels
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Houston Astros
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| New York Yankees
| RF
| 10
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Baltimore Orioles
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Los Angeles Dodgers
|SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Kansas City Royals
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Minnesota Twins
| CF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| California Angels
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Kansas City Royals
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Oakland Athletics
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| San Francisco Giants
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| New York Yankees
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Oakland Athletics
| RF/DH
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Boston Red Sox
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| New York Mets
| 3B/RF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Chicago Cubs
| 2B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| San Francisco Giants
| LF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Seattle Mariners
| CF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Chicago White Sox
| LF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| San Francisco Giants
| LF
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Atlanta Braves
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| Boston Red Sox
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
| style="background:#ff9;"|
| New York Mets
| C
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Anaheim Angels
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Los Angeles Dodgers
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| New York Yankees
| SP
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Toronto Blue Jays
| 1B
|
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Texas Rangers
| SS
| 10
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| New York Yankees
| 3B
| 10
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Detroit Tigers
| 1B
| 8
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
| Arizona Diamondbacks
| SP
| 6
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
|Los Angeles Angels
|CF
|12
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
|New York Yankees
|SP
|9
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
|New York Mets
|SP
|3
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"| $
|
|
|Los Angeles Dodgers
|DH/SP
|10
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|$
|
|
|New York Mets
|OF
|15
|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;"|$
|
|
|Los Angeles Dodgers
|OF
|4
|
|}
See also
- Highest-paid NBA players by season
- List of player salaries in the NHL
- List of highest-paid American television stars
- List of highest-paid film actors
- List of salaries
Notes
- Under this deal, Rodriguez would also receive $6 million bonuses when he tied the career home run totals of Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755), and Barry Bonds (762), as well as for breaking Bonds' record.
- "Earnings" as discussed here refers to salaries paid to players under MLB contracts and does not include advertising or other sources of income. All values are listed in nominal dollars.
- "Average annual value" is calculated as the total value of a contract (less bonuses) divided by the number of years. A $20 million, 2-year contract would have an average annual value of $10 million, even if the player actually received $9 million one season and $11 million in the other. This also does not include contracts for less than a season prorated in value for a full season such as Roger Clemens' 2006 and 2007 contracts. Contract values are listed in nominal dollars unless they include deferred payments at signing.
- Dave Winfield initially negotiated a 10-year deal in 1980 worth a projected $25 million ($2.5 million per year).
- Hershiser and Frank Viola both won the 1988 Cy Young Award, and Viola signed an identically sized $7.9 million, 3-year contract two months after Hershiser.
- Rickey Henderson signed a $12 million, 4-year contract with the Oakland Athletics on November 28, 1989, 6 days after Puckett signed his $9 million, 3-year contract.
- Roger Clemens signed a contract extension during the 2000 season covering 2001 and 2002 along with a player option for 2003. Clemens was paid $10.3 million each year for 2001 and 2002, with the same $10.3 million available if he elected to play in 2003 under his option. However, Clemens also received $10.3 million if he rejected the option. As a result, he could effectively collect the full $30.9 million of contract value for only two years of play ($15.45 million annually). However, the Yankees valued this deal as a $10.3 million annually, three-year deal.
- Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. He will receive $2 million a year for ten years and then $68 million a year for the following ten years. Because of this, the net present value is lower than $70 million per season.