Who is the highest-paid player in the MLB? Looking at the richest man in the Majors

MLB players are earning unbelievable contracts right now. The average contract price, especially for a superstar, continues to rise. There's more money out there than ever before, and superstars are taking advantage of it.

For a recent example, look no further than Manny Machado. The star third baseman had planned to opt out of his contract with the San Diego Padres at year's end and get even more money.

He's now been extended for 11 years with a massive contract. His new deal is worth $350 million, which puts him right up against the biggest deals in MLB history.

That said, who is the highest-paid player in baseball?

The highest-paid players in MLB

Despite signing a massive extension, Manny Machado is still not the highest-paid player in the MLB. That honor, at least by total value, still goes to Mike Trout.

His contract is worth $426.5 million. That's more than these players:

Mookie Betts, $365 million
Aaron Judge, $360 million
Manny Machado, $350 million
Francisco Lindor, $341 million
Fernando Tatis Jr., $340 million
Bryce Harper, $330 million

Per AAV (which is the average annual value of the contract), Machado still doesn't reign supreme, but this is how the list stacks out:

Max Scherzer, $43.33 million
Justin Verlander, $43.33 million
Aaron Judge, $40 million
Jacob deGrom, $37 million
Gerrit Cole, $36 million
Mike Trout, $35.4 million

With the exception of Mike Trout, most of these deals have been made in the last couple of seasons. Still, Trout's record deal was signed in 2019, so it's not an old contract either.

Put simply, there has never been a better time to be a superstar than now. There's so much money in it, and it will be interesting to see how the value of star players rises in the near future.