50 Highest Paid MLB Players – 2025 

Highest Paid MLB Players – 2025. Baseball is in a fascinating place in 2025. The game is becoming more international, talented, and star-studded, and the highest-paid MLB players are making more money than ever. Baseball is undergoing a bit of a renaissance, which is great news, because the first two decades of the century saw baseball go bland. The game became bloated with analytics and data. Hitters changed their swings, trying to increase their launch angle in order to hit more home runs. As a result, they struck out more. The ball was put into play far less; there was less action in the game (Scroll down for a list of the Highest Paid Baseball Players).

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Pitchers, throwing the ball harder than ever (spurred on by data, trying to maximize their spin rate and velocity), stopped being able to pitch deep into games. That meant more painstaking pitching changes. Runners stole fewer bases because the analytics told front offices that stolen bases didn’t really matter. Defenses positioned themselves—or “shifted”—according to where the data told them the ball would most likely be hit. No longer were middle infielders showing off their athleticism as they dove to make stops; ground balls were hit right to them. Game times increased: from 2012 to 2022, games lasted an average of 3 hours. Baseball’s audience shrank. The game had become slow, tedious, and unathletic.

Highest Paid MLB Players 2025 (Continued)

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In 2023, though, Major League Baseball finally decided to take steps to preserve the spirit of the game. That year, a number of rule changes went into effect, designed to increase the rate of play and bring athleticism back to the forefront. A 15-20 second pitch clock, similar to the NBA’s shot clock, was introduced. The size of the bases was increased to encourage runners to steal more often. Shifts were partially restricted. All of this led to a resurgence of athleticism and excitement in the game, as the average game length dipped more than 20 minutes.

There’s been fluctuation in the way MLB players are paid, too. Amidst a rash of injuries and Tommy John surgeries, owners have been far less gung-ho to dole out multi-year mega deals to pitchers. One fact remains, however: baseball is the only major American pro sport that doesn’t have a salary cap. The average player salary has been on a steady uptick for years. Check out a list of the 50 highest paid baseball players below. You can also check out articles on the highest paid college football coaches, college basketball coaches, and college athletes.

50 Highest Paid MLB Players 2025 – Criteria

There are plenty of criteria to look at when determining the highest paid MLB players: total contract value, length of contract, base salary, and so on. But to really get a feel for the players that are taking home the most dough, you have to look at AAV, average annual value. AAV tells you how much money a player is taking home in a year’s work at the ballpark, and it’s what I’ll use to rank the 50 highest paid MLB players in 2025.

50 Highest Paid MLB Players

50) Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers – $22 million

49) Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves – $22 million

48) Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves – $22 million

47) Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays – $22 million

46) Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves – $22 million

 If you follow baseball at all, you might be scratching your head at this one. Really—only $22 million for one of the sport’s elite third basemen? Well, Atlanta did what Atlanta often does, and signed him early on to a team-friendly long-term deal.

45) Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox – $22.5 million

Salaries (Continued)

44) Jordan Montgomery, Arizona Diamondbacks – $22.5 million

43) Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays – $23 million

42) J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies – $23.9 million

41) Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners – $24.1 million

Salaries (Continued)

40) George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays – $24.1 million

39) Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies – $24.6 million

38) Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals – $25 million

37) Sean Manaea, New York Mets – $25 million

Highest Paid Baseball Players 2025 (Continued)

36) Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants – $25 million

35) Javier Baez, Detroit Tigers – $25 million

34) Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers – $25 million

33) Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants – $25.2 million

32) Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres – $25.5 million

31) Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers – $26 million

Two years ago the Texas Rangers put the lie to the old baseball aphorism that you “can’t buy a championship.” They most certainly did buy a championship. In 2022, the Rangers signed the all-star second baseman to a 7-year, $175 million contract. During the same off-season, they signed superstar shortstop Corey Seager to a 10-year, $325 million deal. That’s a half billion dollars between two players. But the investment was worth it: the Rangers won their first ever World Series in 2023.

Highest Paid Baseball Players (Continued)

30) Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers – $26 million

29) Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies – $27 million

28) Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers – $27 million

27) Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies – $27.2 million

26) Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs – $27.5 million

Salaries (Continued)

25) Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies – $27.5 million

Bryce Harper has been in the national spotlight since he was 16 years old. In 2009,a teenage Harper appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The title of the feature was, “Baseball’s Chosen One,” and under the bold typeface the subheading read: “Bryce Harper is the most exciting prodigy since LeBron.”

As much as it pains me to admit it (remember: Mets fan), he’s lived up the hype. He’s hit 326 home runs. His lifetime batting average is .282. His lifetime on-base percentage, .391. He always hustles; he always says the right thing. He’s never even had a media misstep, nor has he gotten himself embroiled in some controversy, despite coming onto the scene as a teenager. He’s a future Hall of Famer, and, sigh, he’ll go in as a Philly—just hopefully without a ring. (Editor’s Note: As a lifelong Phillies fan, a ring would look beautiful on Bryce’s hand!).

24) Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees – $27.8 million

23) Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs – $28 million

22) Vlad Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays – $28.5 million 

Highest Paid MLB Players (Continued)

21) Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox – $29.3 million

20) Pete Alonso, New York Mets – $30 million

19) Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers – $30 million

18) Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals – $32.5 million

17) Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees – $32 million

16) Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers – $32.5 million

15) Jose Altuve, Houston Astros – $32.5 million

 I’m a Mets fan, so I generally consider it sacrilegious to root for any team or player other than those perennially doomed New York Metropolitans. But every October—because the Astros are a lock to make the postseason every season—I find myself pulling for the Astros’ second baseman. And my rooting for him is far from brave—he’s a future Hall-of-Famer second only to Manny Ramirez in all-time postseason home runs. If I had to, I’d bet he breaks Manny’s record this year.

14) Corey Seager, Texas Rangers – $32.5 million

Salaries (Continued)

13) Francisco Lindor, New York Mets – $34.1 million

 There will always be a toxic slice of the New York Mets’ fanbase that believes Francisco Lindor to be an overpaid disappointment. But the numbers prove that Lindor’s tenure as a Met—in 2021, the Mets, under new owner Steve Cohen, signed him to an 11-year deal worth $341 million—has been worth every penny. Since 2022, Lindor is the 4th best player in baseball in terms of WAR, or Wins Above Replacement.

12) Corbin Burnes, Arizona Diamondbacks – $35 million

Highest Paid Baseball Players (Continued)

11) Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees – $36 million

 Gerrit Cole won the American League Cy Young award last year, the first of his career. In 2020, Cole signed a 9-year deal with the Yankees worth $324 million.

10) Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers – $36.4 million

9) Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels – $37.1 million

Mike Trout is one of the best baseball players of all-time. But even with all the accolades and superlatives, his career is starting to become pockmarked with what-ifs. What if the Angels’ front office had surrounded Trout and Ohtani with a better supporting cast? What if he hadn’t signed that long-term deal with the Angels, or better yet—what if he’d asked for a trade to a more competitive, postseason-bound team (Trout has only played in three—yes, just three—postseason games)? And what if his 2024 season hadn’t been derailed with an injury? Early in the season, he looked like he could’ve made a run at a fourth MVP. The baseball gods can be cruel, and I’ll certainly be rooting for Mike next year.

8) Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins – $38.3 million

7) Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels – $38.6 million

What’s there to say about Anthony Rendon? In 2020, he signed a 7-year deal with the Angels worth $245 million. He was part of an Angels squad that boasted two of the most talented players the MLB has ever seen: Mike Trout and Shohei Otani. But in that time the Angels were never able to field a competitive team, and Rendon proved to be more of a liability than an asset—both on and off the field. Still, he’s one of the highest paid MLB players in 2025.

Highest Paid MLB Players 2025 (Continued)

6) Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers – $40 million

On raw ability alone, the former Mets ace is one of the best pitchers to ever take the ball. But injuries have prevented him from really solidifying his legacy in the baseball firmament. After the 2022 season, deGrom left the Mets for Texas, signing a five-year, $185 million to join the Rangers. But so far, he’s only pitched six games for them. An injury to his right elbow ended his 2023 season, and he didn’t pitch in 2024.

5) Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox – $40 million

After losing players like Mookie Betts and Chris Sale in recent years, it looks like the Red Sox are back as big spenders, bringing in the longtime Astros star.

4) Aaron Judge, New York Yankees – $40 million

As a Met fan, I’d love to hate Aaron Judge. But he’s just not hateable, despite playing for the odious Yanks. He’s one of the most electric players of his generation, and at times, Judge is the Yankees offense. In late 2022, the Yankees resigned Judge to a 9-year, $360 million contract.

Highest Paid Baseball Players (Continued)

3) Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies – $42 million

 I can’t stand to watch Zack Wheeler pitch. And it’s not because he’s a nightmare on the mound. In fact, he’s one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. It’s because he was a Met—a Met who got away, a Met that the famously stingy ex-owners, the Wilpons, failed to resign. To make it worse, he went to a bitter in-division rival. (Editor’s Note: As a Phillies fan, I loooove watching Zack Wheeler pitch and thank the Wilpons for their mistake).

2) Juan Soto, New York Yankees – $61.9 million

From one New York team (Yankees) to another (Mets), Soto signed a $765,000,000 contract after the 2024 season. This set an all-time mark for overall contract value.

1) Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers – $70 million

 As crazy as it might sound, $70 million a year for the two-way phenom might be an underpay. I mean, the Dodgers are paying for an elite arm and an elite bat (even though he didn’t take the mound last year). I don’t think there’s any doubt that when all is said and done—provided he stays healthy—Ohtani will go down as the best baseball player of all time.

Highest Paid MLB Players 2025 – Additional Resources

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