Major League Baseball (MLB) is one of the highest-evaluated US sports. In 2022, the North American professional baseball league reported an astonishing amount of $10.32 billion with an average revenue of $344 million per team.
According to Sportico, the New York Yankees (NYY) are the most valued team, with $7.13 billion in their vault. The least evaluated team is the Miami Marlins, with $1.07 billion. 28 teams in between them collectively crossed the $70 billion mark.
Many players in the MLB have created records with the numbers they were offered. Mike Trout’s $426 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019 is still the richest in MLB history. Alex Rodriguez got paid $28 million, the highest career earnings in MLB history.
Shohei Ohtani is the highest-paid player in the MLB right now
Shohei Ohtani is the highest-paid player in the MLB, as per Forbes. 29-year-old Japanese prodigy is currently in his sixth season of the major league. With a salary of $30 million and an endorsement of $40 million, Shohei will be the highest-paid player in the MLB in 2023. His endorsement deal of $40 million is the highest among all.
The LAA star will be a free agent next year, but his current paid figures are already topping the charts. There has been no official announcement from the Angels yet on Shohei’s future with the club.
Max Scherzer ($60.3M)
New York Mets (NYM) legend Max Scherzer is next in line with a salary of $58.3 million and a $2 million off-field deal. The starting pitcher (SP) broke last year’s record of $59 million. If the endorsement deal is not considered, then Max will be the highest-paid player in the 2023 MLB season.
Max signed a $130 million contract with the Mets in 2021. But in a strange occurrence, the Mets are agreeing to trade Max to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Luisangel Acuna.
Aaron Judge ($44.5M)
New York Yankee star and future Hall of Famer Aaron Judge is in third place from the top. He got paid a salary of $40 million with an off-field contract of $4 million, which is second among all after Shohei.
The Yankees managed to get Aaron back from the offseason market with a deal worth $360 million in nine years. The 31-year-old star will be with the NYY till 2031.
Justin Verlander ($44.3M)
Huston Astros legend Justin Verlander, a future teammate of M. Scherzer, also entered the list. 40-year-old Starting Picher has a salary contract of $43.3 million and a $1 million endorsement deal. He is the third-highest-paid player in the major leagues for the 2023 season.
The Mets got Justin as a free agent and cut a deal for two years until 2025. But fans are worried, as the Mets might trade off Verlander, as they did with Max.
Mike Trout ($40.5M)
Mike Trout’s 2019 contract with the Los Angeles Angels is still MLB’s highest-offered deal. Guaranteed $426.5 million in 12 years with a $20 million signing bonus has made him the fifth highest-paid player in the 2023 season of the major league. He gets $35.5 million per year on average, apart from the 5 million dollars that come with the endorsement deal.
The 31-year-old outfielder is still making headlines despite being injured in the 2023 regular season. LAA, with the two highest-paid athletes, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, has been waiting for their chance to get into the playoffs since 2014.
MLB is one of the highest-revenue sports in the US. In 2023, sponsorship revenue was estimated to be $548 million, and ticket sales revenue was around $3.13 billion. With its access through broadcasting channels and YouTube in 182 countries, this number will grow with time.
