Who are the highest-paid MLB players in 2021?
The top-paid MLB players, led by Mike Trout, made a combined total of $357 million this season. Scroll down to find the 10 most highest-paid baseball players and their earnings.
This year's player earnings have doubled on last year, in part due to covid-19 as the 2020 season had to be shortened to 60 games, with salaries decreased by 63%. The top ten players have earned a combined total of $357 million this season, the highest in MLB history, which contrasts with last year’s $152 million.
However, we must bear in mind that star player salaries are not the regular amount of money MLB players earn, which is much less.
Top 10 players with highest incomes
10. Manny Machado
Despite previously having a history with the Baltimore Orioles, Machado is currently playing as a shortstop or third base for the San Diego Padres, with whom he signed the most expensive contract of all North American sports at the time in a ten-year deal.
The two-time winner of the Gold Glove Award now takes tenth spot on the list of MLB's highest-paid players with annual earnings of $32 million.
9. David Price
The Los Angeles Dodgers veteran pitcher is in the last year of his contract. Having started professional baseball in 2008, he has managed to build an experienced and recognized career across several MLB teams, including the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Boston Red Sox among others. Now, he has claimed ninth spot with $32 million in annual income.
8. Justin Verlander
It is not surprising to see plenty of pitchers joining the select group of most-paid players, due to the importance of their position in their respective teams. Pitcher Justin Verlander, a member of the Houston Astros and leader of the AL on five occasions, has broken several records throughout his career, including being the sixth pitcher of all time to throw three career no-hitters. For his efforts in the field, he is paid a total of $33 million.
7. Max Scherzer
As we can see, both pitchers from the Los Angeles Dodgers have made it on to the list. Scherzer is the team’s starting pitcher. The three-time Cy Young award winner was signed by the team, having previously played for the Washington Nationals in 2019, and won a World Series with them. Currently, he is earning $34.6 million a year.
6. Stephen Strasburg
The Washington Nationals pitcher, who was also the MVP of the 2019 World Series which they won, has landed sixth on the list of the highest-paid baseball players. However, be is tied with Zack Greinke (No.5), earning a total amount of $35 million.
5. Zack Greinke
Greinke’s path across his MLB career has been marked by lots of different teams. Having started at the Kansas City Royals, he has gone on to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and, since 2019, the Houston Astros.
With a career nearly derailed by depression and anxiety in his first stage at Kansas, Greinke takes fifth spot on the list with earnings that total $35 million.
4. Nolan Arenado
The St. Louis Cardinals’ third baseman entered the league in 2013 and has since managed numerous achievements. For the only infielder to win the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the 2021 season was his debut with the Cardinals, having previously played for the Rockies for the entirety of his career.
The latest data set his earnings at $35,002,500, $2,500 more than Greinke and Strasburg.
3. Gerrit Cole
Pitcher Gerritt Cole, who plays for the Yankees for $36 million, is tied with Jacob Degrom as the second-highest-paid player in MLB. Having had a previous history with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros, Cole transferred to the New York Yankees in 2019 in a $324 million deal, the richest contract for a pitcher in MLB history.
2. Jacob Degrom
Despite having started in baseball playing at shortstop, his career gradually took a different path in his junior year when he decided to shift to being a pitcher. Having had his MLB debut in 2010 with the New York Mets, Degrom has continued in the team until the present day.
Degrom is seen as the best pitcher of current times, having his play rewarded by $36 million a year.
1. Mike Trout
The nine-time MLB All-Star plays as a center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels. He is one of the most outstanding young players in MLB's history, earning a total of $37.1 million per year, the highest-paid MLB player of the 2021 season.