Star MLB Players receive massive contracts.
Some contracts are much longer deals and some are shorter deals.
Max Scherzer’s deal is worth $130 million, which ranks 41st in value but he only signed a three-year contract, which ranks him first in Average Annual Value (AAV).
Justin Verlander signed a two-year deal worth $86,666,666 in value, tying him with Scherzer for the highest AAV in the league. In value, Verlander is 61st in the league.
Manny Machado recently signed a new 11-year deal worth $350 million.
Machado is fourth in value and 13th in AAV among MLB players.
Below, we will look at the top 10 highest-paid MLB players according to the value of their contracts.
Top 10 Highest-Paid MLB Players
Despite having the highest AAV in the league, Scherzer and Verlander do not rank in the top 10 in the highest-value contract.
Some other notable names are outside the top 10 despite recently signing a new deal.
Rafael Devers recently signed a new deal with the Boston Red Sox. He signed a 10-year deal worth $313.5 million in value. Devers ranks 11th in contract value and 14th in AAV.
Trea Turner also recently signed a new deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed an 11-year deal worth $300 million. Turner ranks 12th in value and 19th in AAV.
Gerrit Cole kicks off the top 10 list of highest-paid MLB players according to the value of their contract.
Click to jump to a player.
- Mike Trout — $426.5 million
- 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
- Corey Seager — $325 million
- Giancarlo Stanton — $325 million
- Gerrit Cole — $324 million
10. Gerrit Cole — $324 million
Gerrit Cole has the 10th highest value in his contract in the league.
He is signed to a nine-year deal worth $324 million and he has a fifth-year opt-out in his contract.
Cole has the fifth highest Average Annual Value in the league, making $36 million a year.
Among starting pitchers, Cole has the highest value but he has the fourth-highest AAV among pitchers.
Cole is not playing like he should have the highest contract and fourth-highest AAV among starting pitchers in the league.
His play has dipped in the last couple of seasons.
Cole still has elite strikeout ability but his ERA got worse in 2021 and even more so in 2022.
9. Giancarlo Stanton — $325 million
Giancarlo Stanton and the player who is eighth are tied with a $325 million contract but Stanton’s AAV is lower (13-year deal) and Stanton did not have a signing bonus, which is why Stanton is ninth.
He has the 28th-highest Average Annual Value, at $25,000,000 per year.
Health has been a big issue for Stanton.
He has not played more than 140 games since 2018.
Stanton played 139 games in 2021 and 110 games in 2022 but he still managed to hit 31 or more home runs each year.
His batting average dipped significantly from 2021 to 2022. Stanton had a .273 batting average in 2021 but a .211 batting average last season.
Despite the drop in batting average, when he is healthy and in the batting lineup, Stanton still produces tremendously on offense.
8. Corey Seager — $325 million
Corey Seager has a 10-year, $325 million contract and he had a $5,000,000 signing bonus as well.
He has the 11th-highest Average Annual Value, at $32,500,000 per year.
Seager signed his contract with the Texas Rangers before the 2022 MLB season and he put up career numbers after he got paid.
He was able to play 151 games last season and he hit 33 home runs to go along with 91 runs and 83 RBIs.
His batting average dropped significantly. He had a .306 batting average in 2021 (95 games) but he had a .245 batting average last season.
Texas hopes Seager can improve his batting average while keeping up his power.
So far, the deal has worked out for both Seager and the Rangers.
7. Bryce Harper — $330 million
Bryce Harper signed a 13-year deal worth $330 million and a $20 million signing bonus back in February 2019 with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite the large contract value, he has the 26th-highest Average Annual Value, at $25,384,615 per year.
When Harper is healthy, he is one of the best batters in the league.
He was only able to play 99 games last season and he will be out in the 2023 MLB season until approximately the All-Star break.
Harper is a great source of power but he also gets on base frequently and does not solely rely on power.
When healthy, Harper is one of the most dangerous batters in the league and despite the injury, the deal has worked out for both Harper and the Phillies.
6. Fernando Tatis Jr — $340 million
Fernando Tatis signed a 14-year deal worth $340 million and a $10 million signing bonus back in February 2021 with the San Diego Padres.
Despite the large contract value, he has the 31st-highest Average Annual Value, at $24,285,714 per year.
When Tatis is healthy and not suspended, he is one of the best and most dangerous batters in the league.
He did not play last season due to injury and getting suspended for PED violations.
His suspension will continue this season and he is not eligible to play until late April.
In 2021, Tatis played 130 games and he hit 42 home runs, and had 97 RBIs, to go along with a .282 batting average.
While Tatis was not available, the Padres still made it to the NLCS last year.
This could be the season in which the Padres see the value in the deal.
They will get back Tatis, who is arguably the best and most dangerous batter in the league, on an already stacked team.
Top 5 Highest Paid MLB Players
Now, we get to the top five highest-paid MLB players, according to the value of their contracts.
Francisco Lindor kicks off the top five list.
5. Francisco Lindor — $341 million
Francisco Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million contract and he had a $21,000,000 signing bonus as well with the New York Mets back in April 2021.
Lindor’s signing bonus is the third-highest signing bonus in the league.
He has the ninth-highest Average Annual Value, at $34,100,000 per year.
Lindor was able to play 161 games last season and he hit 26 home runs to go along with 98 runs and 107 RBIs.
His batting average rose significantly from the 2021 MLB season. He had a .230 batting average in 2021 (125 games) but he had a .270 batting average last season.
He is one of the best defenders at the Shortstop position as well, on top of being an excellent batter.
Lindor is well worth the contract he has signed.
4. Manny Machado — $350 million
Manny Machado recently signed a blockbuster deal with the San Diego Padres.
He signed an 11-year deal worth $350 million and he had a whopping $45,000,000 signing bonus, which is the second-highest signing bonus.
Machado has the 13th-highest Average Annual Value, at $31,818,182 per year.
He was able to play 150 games last season and he hit 32 home runs to go along with 100 runs and 102 RBIs.
Machado was a big reason why the Padres made it to the NLCS last year.
The Padres have made splash acquisitions and deals in order to compete for a World Series.
This will be their best chance to win the World Series and Machado will be a big part of the team.
3. Aaron Judge — $360 million
Last season, Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs and won the AL MVP.
After the season ended, the New York Yankees rewarded Judge with a nine-year $360 million deal.
Judge has the third-highest Average Annual Value, at $40,000,000 per year.
He had 133 runs and 131 RBIs to go along with his 62 home runs last season.
The next accomplishment for Judge is to win the World Series.
With his new deal, the Yankees are banking on Judge being the main reason for another World Series title.
Time will tell whether Judge can help the Yankees win a World Series but there is no denying how great Judge is.
2. Mookie Betts — $365 million
Mookie Betts has a 12-year, $365 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and he had a $65,000,000 signing bonus, which is the highest signing bonus of any player in the league.
He has the 17th-highest Average Annual Value, at $30,416,667 per year.
Betts played 142 games last season and he hit 35 home runs to go along with 117 runs and 82 RBIs.
He has already been worth the contract. He signed the deal in the summer of 2020 and in a shortened MLB season, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series.
Betts is one of the best players in the league.
1. Mike Trout — $426.5 million
In 2019, the Los Angeles Angels signed Mike Trout to a deal that was the largest in professional sports history at the time.
He signed a 12-year $426.5 million contract and he had a $20,000,000 signing bonus.
While it is difficult to argue that Trout has not lived up to the deal.
He is the best player in baseball when healthy.
However, he has played less than 120 games in each of the last two seasons.
Also, he has not helped the Angels be successful whatsoever.
The Angels with Trout have played in just three playoff games and lost the only playoff series he has ever played in.
Trout is the best player in baseball but he needs to stay healthy and help the Angels be successful in the postseason.
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