Joey Votto, Freddie Freeman and the Highest-Paid MLB Player on Every Team

Major League Baseball salaries at their highest levels are staggering, with three players earning $40 million or more in the 2023 season. And MLB contracts are guaranteed, whether players play all 162 regular-season games or just a fraction of them. Every offseason, players sign lucrative deals with new teams, meaning the top-paid player on each team could change from season to season.

GOBankingRates looked at the salaries for all 30 Major League Baseball teams to find the highest-paid player on each team in 2023. The data revealed a few surprises and confirmed what we knew: the big-market teams outpace the smaller-market teams in spending in a large way.

The list contains players at the top of their game and some who continue to earn huge sums of money even at the end of their careers. Who’s the highest-paid player in MLB and on your team?

Read on to see the full list.

• Age: 29
• Position: Second base
• Base salary: $11,000,000
• Signing bonus: $600,000
• Payroll salary: $11,600,000
• Adjusted salary: $11,600,000

• Age: 29
• Position: First base
• Base salary: $21,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $21,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $21,000,000

• Age: 35
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $10,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $10,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $10,000,000

• Age: 26
• Position: Third base
• Base salary: $17,500,000
• Signing bonus: $1,818,182
• Payroll salary: $19,318,182
• Adjusted salary: $19,318,182

• Age: 32
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $25,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $25,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $25,000,000

• Age: 36
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $18,500,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $18,500,000
• Adjusted salary: $18,500,000

• Age: 39
• Position: First base
• Base salary: $25,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $25,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $25,000,000

• Age: 30
• Position: First base
• Base salary: $16,500,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $16,500,000
• Adjusted salary: $16,500,000

• Age: 31
• Position: Outfield
• Base salary: $27,000,000
• Signing bonus: $1,000,000
• Payroll salary: $28,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $28,000,000

• Age: 40
• Position: Designated hitter
• Base salary: $32,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $32,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $32,000,000

• Age: 29
• Position: Third base
• Base salary: $28,500,000
• Signing bonus: $2,000,000
• Payroll salary: $30,500,000
• Adjusted salary: $30,500,000

• Age: 33
• Position: Catcher
• Base salary: $20,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $20,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $20,000,000

• Age: 33
• Position: Third base
• Base salary: $38,000,000
• Signing bonus: $571,428
• Payroll salary: $38,571,428
• Adjusted salary: $38,571,428

• Age: 33
• Position: First base
• Base salary: $27,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $27,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $27,000,000

• Age: 31
• Position: Designated hitter
• Base salary: $15,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $15,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $15,000,000

• Age: 31
• Position: Left field
• Base salary: $26,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $26,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $26,000,000

• Age: 28
• Position: Shortstop
• Base salary: $32,000,000
• Signing bonus: $1,333,333
• Payroll salary: $33,333,333
• Adjusted salary: $33,333,333

• Age: 38
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $43,333,333
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $43,333,333
• Adjusted salary: $43,333,333

• Age: 40
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $43,333,333
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $43,333,333
• Adjusted salary: $43,333,333

• Age: 31
• Position: Right fielder
• Base salary: $40,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $40,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $40,000,000

• Age: 33
• Position: Relief pitcher/closer
• Base salary: $6,000,000
• Signing bonus: $1,000,000
• Payroll salary: $7,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $7,000,000

• Age: 30
• Position: Right field
• Base salary: $26,000,000
• Signing bonus: $1,538,462
• Payroll salary: $27,538,462
• Adjusted salary: $27,538,462

• Age: 26
• Position: Third base
• Base salary: $10,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $10,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $10,000,000

• Age: 30
• Position: Shortstop
• Base salary: $25,000,000
• Signing bonus: $454,545
• Payroll salary: $25,454,545
• Adjusted salary: $25,454,545

• Age: 31
• Position: Left field
• Base salary: $19,650,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Adjusted salary: $19,650,000
• Payroll salary: $19,650,000

• Age: 31
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $21,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $21,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $21,000,000

• Age: 35
• Position: First base
• Base salary: $22,000,000
• Signing bonus: $4,000,000
• Payroll salary: $26,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $26,000,000

• Age: 29
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $11,000,000
• Signing bonus: $0
• Payroll salary: $11,000,000
• Adjusted salary: $11,000,000

• Age: 29
• Position: Shortstop
• Base salary: $35,000,000
• Signing bonus: $500,000
• Payroll salary: $35,500,000
• Adjusted salary: $35,500,000

• Age: 33
• Position: Center field
• Base salary: $22,500,000
• Signing bonus: $1,666,667
• Payroll salary: $24,166,166
• Adjusted salary: $24,166,166

• Age: 33
• Position: Starting pitcher
• Base salary: $24,000,000
• Signing bonus: $416,666
• Payroll salary: $24,416,666
• Adjusted salary: $34,503,480

_{Methodology: For this piece GOBankingRates used Spotrac’s Major League Baseball (MLB) team payrolls for the 2023 season to find the highest-paid player on every MLB team in terms of adjusted salary. For each team, GOBankingRates found (1) the name of the highest-paid player in terms of adjusted salary; (2) the player’s age; (3) position played; (4) base salary; (5) signing bonus; (6) payroll salary; and (7) adjusted salary. Note: An adjusted salary reflects the money the player has agreed to defer to a later payment date. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 30, 2023.}