Top 10 highest paid baseball players | MLB 2022
The highest paid baseball players of 2022 just might be the richest MLB players to date. In 2012, Yankees outfielder Alex Rodriguez made $32 million per year and was the highest paid baseball player in the world. Nowadays, franchise owners continue paying bigger and bigger bucks to superstars every season. By today's standards, $32 million per year isn't even enough to crack the top ten highest paid baseball players list.
From 2015-19, #MLB revenue jumped from $8.2B to $10.7B, a 30% increase.
From 2015-19, the average player salary decreased from $4.45M to $4.17M, while the median fell from $1.65M to $1.15M.
Of the 1,400+ players who accrued a day of 2021 service time, 41% earned less than $1M.
"From 2015-19, #MLB revenue jumped from $8.2B to $10.7B, a 30% increase. From 2015-19, the average player salary decreased from $4.45M to $4.17M, while the median fell from $1.65M to $1.15M.Of the 1,400+ players who accrued a day of 2021 service time, 41% earned less than $1M." - @ Spotrac
The Top 10 highest paid baseball players in 2022
Not every MLB player is getting paid more. Quite the opposite is true. Despite increased revenue, the average MLB salary value has been steadily declining since 2015. General managers have begun placing excessive value on superstars and ignoring lesser-known players in the process. As the pay gap between high- and low-end players grows, let's take a look at the top 10 highest paid baseball players in 2022.
#10 Francisco Lindor
The New York Mets have to ask themselves if shortstop Francisco Lindor is worth the $341 million they're paying him over 10 years. That comes out to $34.1 million yearly, with a no-trade clause coming into effect in 2026. The former All-Star and Gold Glover's .230 batting average in 2021 was certainly not worth $34 million.
#9 Nolan Arenado
Despite being traded to the Saint Louis Cardinals in 2021, third baseman Nolan Arenado is still on his 2019 Colorado Rockies contract. The eight-year, $260 million deal, which pays $32.5 million yearly, is enough to land the slugger in the ninth spot for highest paid baseball players.
#8 Stephen Strasburg
The perennial Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg is on a seven-year, $245 million contract, making him the eighth highest paid MLB player. If the injury-prone firethrower could make it through a full season, an argument could be made for this value. But after starting a mere seven games over the past two seasons, that argument might be tricky to make.
#7 Carlos Correa
The Minnesota Twins just recently signed shortstop Carlos Correa to a massive three-year deal worth $105 million. Correa has consistently hit between .270 and .300, and his 7.21 WAR in 2021 eliminated any doubt about his value. The new salary is enough to make him the the highest paid infielder in the league.
Carlos Correa's three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Minnesota #Twins is expected to become official today with an introductory press conference Wednesday morning in Fort Myers, Fla., at the Twins' spring-training complex.
"Carlos Correa's three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Minnesota #Twins is expected to become official today with an introductory press conference Wednesday morning in Fort Myers, Fla., at the Twins' spring-training complex." - Bob Nightengale
#6 Trevor Bauer
The Dodgers inked starting pitcher Trevor Bauer to an insane three-year deal worth $102 million in 2021. Like Strasburg, the ace has had trouble staying healthy in the past, and his injury woes could hurt the Dodgers' payroll. But at $35.3 million annual salary, Bauer is 2022's sixth highest paid baseball player.
#5 Jacob deGrom
No complaints here. The Mets are paying the 34-year-old starting pitcher $35 million a year, and he's worth every penny. While the strikeout master has had some injury problems over the past couple of seasons, he has more than made up for them by posting a WHIP below 1.0 for 4 straight seasons.
#4 - Gerrit Cole
Coming in at number four of 2022's highest paid baseball players is Gerrit Cole, another starting pitcher worth his weight in gold. The Yankees are paying the All-Star $36 million per year. In exchange, he's given the Yankees 663 strikeouts in three seasons.
#3 Anthony Rendon
The Los Angeles Angels are paying third-baseman Anthony Rendon $36.5 million a year, making him the third highest paid player in baseball. It's tough to say whether or not the 31-year-old is worth all the fuss. He's started in only 110 games over two seasons, which means the Angels are paying him a whole lot of cash per games played.
#2 Mike Trout
Mike Trout comes in second out of 2022's highest paid baseball players. The Angels are paying outfielder Mike Trout $37.1 million yearly in a whopping 12-year deal worth $426.5 million. Aside from the superstar's injury woes over the past two seasons, Trout deserves exactly what he gets. He's posted insane WAR numbers almost every season, topping the coveted 10.0 WAR mark three separate times.
#1 Max Scherzer
Max Scherzer stands well-above the rest of the pack. Despite being 37-years-old, the Mets are paying the former Cy Young winner $43.3 million per year in a three-year deal worth $130 million. If you thought Mike Trout's salary was big, think again. After posting 236 strikouts in 2021, Scherzer is showing no signs of slowing down. He certainly deserves to be number one amongst the highest paid baseball players of 2022.