- Shohei Ohtani has the largest average salary in MLB.
- Veteran pitchers dominate the top of the list.
- Aaron Judge has the joint-fourth-largest salary in the majors.
Salaries for the top baseball players continue to increase year-on-year. Records for the highest average annual value are broken each offseason it seems. Bryce Harper and Manny Machado appeared to set a new benchmark in the 2018-19 offseason, but their deals have been dwarfed by various contracts since then.
Each mega contract will sway the futures markets on the MLB odds pages. These deals can backfire horribly, potentially crippling a front office for years to come. When a deal works out, it can raise a team’s ceiling in the short and medium term.
Who Is the Highest-Paid MLB Player in 2024?
| Rank | Player | Team | Total Salary | Average Per Year | Total Guaranteed |
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers | $700 million | $70 million | $700 million |
| T-2 | Max Scherzer | Texas Rangers | $130 million | $43.3 million | $130 million |
| T-2 | Justin Verlander | Houston Astros | $86.7 million | $43.3 million | $86.7 million |
| 4 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | $360 million | $40 million | $360 million |
| 5 | Jacob deGrom | Texas Rangers | $205 million | $37 million | $185 million |
| 6 | Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | $324 million | $36 million | $324 million |
| 7 | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | $426.5 million | $35.5 million | $426.5 million |
| T-8 | Anthony Rendon | Los Angeles Angels | $245 million | $35 million | $245 million |
| T-8 | Stephen Strasburg | Retired | $245 million | $35 million | $245 million |
| 10 | Francisco Lindor | New York Mets | $341 million | $34.1 million | $341 million |
| 11 | Carlos Correa | Minnesota Twins | $260 million | $33.3 million | $200 million |
| T-12 | Corey Seager | Texas Rangers | $325 million | $32.5 million | $325 million |
| T-12 | Nolan Arenado | St. Louis Cardinals | $260 million | $32.5 million | $260 million |
| 14 | Manny Machado | San Diego Padres | $350 million | $31.8 million | $350 million |
| 15 | Rafael Devers | Boston Red Sox | $313.5 million | $31.4 million | $313.5 million |
Highest-Paid MLB Players (2024 MLB)
1. Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers
Elbow surgery in September 2023 meant Shohei Ohtani’s contract wasn’t quite as massive as many expected it to be. Ohtani, though, still shattered records with his $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
For a while, a $1 billion contract seemed possible for Ohtani. Instead, he settled for a $70 million average annual value pact with the Dodgers, which includes significant deferrals to help Los Angeles maintain a degree of payroll flexibility.
T-2. Max Scherzer – Texas Rangers
Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets and wanted to overhaul the team. In the 2021-22 offseason, Cohen chucked a record-breaking average annual salary at Max Scherzer to pair him with Jacob deGrom atop the rotation.
Injuries disrupted Scherzer’s first season. He was subpar in 2023, posting a 4.70 FIP. The Mets then traded Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, where he was reunited with deGrom. New York agreed to pay a sizeable portion of Scherzer’s remaining salary.
T-2. Justin Verlander – Houston Astros
With deGrom hitting free agency, the Mets decided to pair another veteran arm with Scherzer. Justin Verlander signed a two-year version of Scherzer’s contract in the 2022-23 offseason, which gave him a $43,333,333 salary in 2023 and 2024 before a $35 million vesting option for 2025.
When the Mets pivoted in an effort to get younger at the 2023 trade deadline, Verlander ended up back with the Houston Astros via a trade. As with Scherzer, the Mets are paying a hefty chunk of Verlander’s remaining salary.
4. Aaron Judge – New York Yankees
Baseball odds unsurprisingly had Aaron Judge among the AL MVP favourites before the season. After a slow start, Judge has more than lived up to expectations. The New York Yankees slugger is posting one of the greatest offensive seasons of all time after he was kept to 106 regular season games after signing his $360 million contract.
While it was always probable Judge would end up back with the Yankees as a free agent, there was a brief moment when it seemed like he was signing with the San Francisco Giants.
Jon Heyman reported, “Arson Judge appears headed to Giants.” It wasn’t to be for the Giants, though, with Judge ultimately extending his stay in New York and becoming the first Yankees captain since Derek Jeter.
5. Jacob deGrom – Texas Rangers
Jacob deGrom was as dominant as any pitcher has ever been during his peak with the Mets. A three-year, $120 million offer from the Mets was turned down by deGrom, however, and the two-time Cy Young winner opted to sign a longer deal with the Rangers.
With the Mets preferring shorter, high-AAV deals, deGrom was forced to look elsewhere for the contract he craved as a free agent. It led to some bad blood between the Mets and their former ace, who has made just six starts for the Rangers since signing in the 2022-23 offseason.
6. Gerrit Cole – New York Yankees
The second Yankee on this list, Gerrit Cole, had the largest contract for any pitcher until Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers for $325 million.
After winning his first Cy Young in 2023, an injury forced Cole to miss the first few months of the 2024 season. Back close to his best, the Yankees ace can opt-out at the end of the 2024 season. The Yankees, though, can nullify the opt-out by adding a 10th year to his deal at $36 million.
It remains very unlikely Cole will play for anyone other than the Yankees in 2025.
7. Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels
Playing under 83 games for the fourth time in five years, Mike Trout’s late prime has been derailed by an array of injuries. The BetMGM online sportsbook priced the 11-time All-Star among the AL MVP candidates early in the 2024 season, but Trout tore his meniscus in April and has played just 29 games.
it's Trout szn 🎣#RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/DgThb6Z7Zf
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 9, 2024
With the Angels embracing a deep rebuild after Ohtani’s departure, it is possible Trout gets traded in the next year or two. The Angels would need to eat a significant portion of his remaining salary, though, and teams might be put off by Trout’s injury history despite his All-Star production when healthy.
T-8. Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels
The Angels, who have not made the playoffs since 2014, have two players on this list. The player in the top spot was playing for the Angels from 2018 to 2023.
Anthony Rendon’s contract has proven to be one of the worst in baseball history. Rendon has played 255 games in five seasons as an Angel, and he didn’t help his popularity in Anaheim by saying baseball has “never been a top priority.”
The former Washington National has been worth just 3.6 bWAR as an Angel.
T-8. Stephen Strasburg – Retired
Stephen Strasburg starred for the Washington Nationals en route to the 2019 World Series. Strasburg won World Series MVP as the Nats won their first title. He also finished fifth in Cy Young voting and led the National League in innings.
Washington rewarded the former first overall pick with a $245 million contract. Injuries had already been a problem for Strasburg before 2019 – they effectively ended his career from 2020 onwards. The right-hander made just eight regular-season starts after signing his new deal, allowing 24 earned runs in the process.
He officially retired from baseball in April.
10. Francisco Lindor – New York Mets
Trading for and extending Francisco Lindor was one of Steve Cohen’s first marquee moves as Mets owner. Unlike the failed signings of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Lindor remains a vital player at Citi Field and has been their standout performer in 2024.
Often underrated and already with 49 bWAR to his name, Lindor is almost certainly heading to Cooperstown. He’s earning $34.1 million per season until the 2031-32 offseason, giving him a great chance of finishing among the top 10 shortstops in WAR.
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