Highest-paid MLB players of 2021 and all time
Find out the highest-paid MLB players, from those who are currently active to those who have made the most money ever.
Who are the highest-paid MLB players in 2021?
The highest paid player in Major League Baseball for the 2021 season is Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer.
The reigning Cy Young winner entered free agency following the 2020 season and landed with the defending World Series champs on a three-year deal worth $102m.
The deal is front-loaded, meaning Bauer is set to earn around $40m this year.
The second highest-paid player in MLB in 2021 is Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.
The big-hitting outfielder – widely considered the best player in the world – is entering the third year of a record-breaking 12-year, $426.5m contract.
Trout is in line to rake in $37.1m over the course of the 2021 season.
The next highest-paid baseball star in 2021 is New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.
Cole is heading into the second year of a nine-season, $324m contract that he signed in 2020 after leaving the Houston Astros. He will net $36m in 2021.
Also set to earn $36m in 2021 is Cole’s fellow pitcher, Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets.
The two-time Cy Young winner is entering the third year of a five-year deal that is worth $137.5m.
Coming in fifth on this list is Nolan Arenado, who has just landed at the St. Louis Cardinals in a blockbuster trade from the Colorado Rockies.
The third baseman’s eight-year, $260m contract was carried over to the Cards, with Arenado in line to earn $35m in 2021.
Also set to earn $35m in 2021 is Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245m deal with the 2019 World Series champs in 2020.
Who are the highest paid MLB players ever?
Bauer’s earnings of $40m in 2021 will make him the highest-paid MLB player ever over a single season.
Strasburg comes in second here, raking in $38.3m during the 2019 season in which the Nationals won the World Series.
Trout follows close behind with his earnings of $37.6m in 2020, while his earnings of $36.8m in 2019 is the fifth-highest ever.
Strasburg’s teammate and fellow pitcher, Max Scherzer, rounds off this list with his 2019 earnings of $37.5m putting him in fourth.
Which MLB players have earned the most money?
Alex Rodriguez is the highest-paid MLB player ever, having earned $399m in salary over the course of his career.
Known mostly for his time with the Yankees, Rodriguez also played for the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers during his 22-year MLB stint.
Albert Pujols is the second highest-paid MLB player of all time, earning $314m during his 20-year career.
Third is Miguel Cabrera, who earned $306m in total earnings, fourth is Zack Greinke with $282m, and fifth is Derek Jeter on $265m.
