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Who are the highest paid players for the 2023 MLB season? List of salaries by position

For all the talk about baseball dying, the money involved in the game is bigger than ever. We look at the pockets where most of it ends up.

Jeffrey May
Jeffrey MayJeff_DiarioAS
For all the talk about baseball dying, the money involved in the game is bigger than ever. We look at the pockets where most of it ends up.
Rich StorryUSA TODAY Sports

Baseball is awash with money. Never has that been more true than right now. And despite all of the talk from certain quarters about how baseball is dying, the accounts would seem to belie that concept.

While NFL and NBA players might get more annual pay than MLB players, the length of the career in those sports is markedly shorter than a career in baseball. However, it must be remembered that the big money is reserved for only the top one percent of players, as in life.

What is the average MLB salary?

While the majority of professional baseball players in this country ply their trade in minor and independent leagues, once you make it to the Show, there is a significant pay bump.

And even while the bulk of those players are on league minimum contracts, or something very close to it, there is enough cash at the top end to sway the MLB average salary ever upward.

While the league minimum is $700k, representing a nearly 20% increase on the old minimum, the MLB average is the highest that it has ever been, at $4.41 million for 2023.

Who is the highest paid MLB player?

Not that long ago, jaws dropped at Mike Trout’s 12-year, $426.5 million contract, equating to just over $37 million a year. No longer.

While Trout’s may still have a higher long-term value than others, the yearly payroll numbers of several players have pushed him into fifth place.

For the 2023 season, the highest-paid player on any team is a two-way tie between Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. The New York Mets will fork out $43.3 million each for their services, a total of $86.6 million to have two hall-of-fame shoe-ins on the mound.

The nearest player to that is across town in the Bronx, where the Yankees will hand Aaron Judge $40 million this season.

The Angels, for all of their post-season woes, and their inability to cobble together a winning team, will stick their hands deep into their pockets as well, with Anthony Rendon hauling in $38.5 million this season. And this on top of the $37 million that they will owe Mike Trout in salary for 2023.

It remains to be seen if the Angels can hold onto Shohei Ohtani after this season or not, but if they do, their payroll could skyrocket, with his salary expected to fly from the current number fifteen up into the top two or three in MLB.

Who are the highest paid players in each position?

Catcher

  1. J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies $23.1 million
  2. Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals $20.5 million
  3. Yasmani Grandal, Chicago White Sox $18.25 million
  4. Willson Contreras, St. Louis Cardinals $18 million
  5. Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves $12.166 million

First Base

  1. Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers $27 million
  2. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals $26 million
  3. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds $22.5 million
  4. Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves $21 million
  5. Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees $20 million

Second Base

  1. Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers $25 million
  2. Jose Altuve, Houston Astros $23.357 million
  3. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks $15.2 million
  4. Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers $15 million
  5. Jeff McNeil, New York Mets $12.5 million

Short Stop

  1. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets $34.1 million
  2. Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins $33.333 million
  3. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers $32.5 million
  4. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies $27.272 million
  5. Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres $25.454 million

Third Base

  1. Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels $35 million
  2. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals $32.5 million
  3. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres $31.82 million
  4. Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox $31.35 million
  5. Josh Donaldson, New York Yankees $23 million

Outfield

  1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees $40 million
  2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels $35.541 million
  3. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers $30.416 million
  4. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers $26.928 million
  5. Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies $26 million
  6. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies $25.384 million
  7. George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays $25 million
  8. Juan Soto, San Diego Padres $23 million
  9. Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets $20.25 million
  10. Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia Phillies $20 million

Pitchers

  1. Max Scherzer, New York Mets $43.333 million
  2. Justin Verlander, New York Mets $43.333 million
  3. Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees $36 million
  4. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals $35 million
  5. Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels $30 million
  6. Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers $37 million
  7. Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox $27.5 million
  8. Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres $25 million
  9. Marcus Stroman, Chicago Cubs $25 million
  10. Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies $24.5 million