With the MLB postseason in full swing, no pun intended, I figured it’d be best to take a look at some of the salaries of the guys who are paid to make batters swing and miss—the pitchers! Over the past 25 years or so, there has been an uptick in salaries for every single professional athlete in every sport, but because pitching is what wins championships in baseball, teams put an extra emphasis on overpaying to get the best they can. So who are the hurlers who earned the most money in their MLB career from just salary alone? Some of these might have been expected, while a few others may shock you.
Photo: Adam Fagen/Flickr
Pedro Martinez is definitely going to the Hall of Fame
absolutely. One of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen, outside of maybe Roger Clemens(“The Rocket”), Randy Johnson(“The Big Unit”), Greg Maddux(“The Professor”), and Nolan Ryan(“The Ryan Express”). In his prime, his ERA would be in the 1’s or low 2’s and he would win 20 games, or close to it per year. Kind of like Kershaw I guess, but maybe even a tad better….and he threw absolute gas.
Cy Young,
Christy Mathewson
and Lefty Gomez
is all you gotta know
Is all you gotta know unless you want to know some better pitchers that came later, lol. Sorry, they were good, but Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Greg Maddux were all better and played against much better players too.
Um, Clayton Kershaw’s contract is bigger than any of these — $215 M
Carlos Zambrano sucks. I wonder why he makes so much.
Plus, he’s an A-hole.
Pedro and Roy Halladay will be in the HOF. Special mention should gave been made for Kershaw as he’s guaranteed to make over $220 million for his career
For three to four years at the turn of the century, Pedro Martinez was the best pitcher there ever was. He was so good, you felt like the Sox could score runs while he was on the mound.
the the seasons that come to mind, the 1997 season, his final season with the Expos. Wow. Then 1999 and 2000. Statistically 2002 and 2003 were just as good. Just that he didn’t pitch as many innings as before.
Most of the pitchers on this list couldn’t carry the jock straps of Tom Seaver, Bob Gibson, and Sandy Koufax.
Pedro Martinez “may not make the Hall of Fame.” What kind of drug are you on?
They didn’t earn as much as those listed??
Cliff Lee definitely has earned throughout his career more than $130 million so far. The argument could maybe be made that Kershaw and Verlander received big time contracts but they haven’t collected the entire amount yet even though it is guaranteed.
We had Maddux here in Atlanta and his pitching was an art form. He blew no one away like today but boy he got the batters thinking and that did them in often… no, not striking em out but getting them out with lousy bat contact. Last year he and Tom Glavin made the Hall and next year John Smoltz will go in. Those three pitchers pitched for the Braves for years at the same time …the reason the Braves won their division for years in a row in the 90’s! What a treat we had here in Atlanta.
You are absolutely right! People in Atlanta didn’t know what they had until it was gone. New general manager John Hart should be able rebuild the Braves for the opening of the new stadium in 2017. Hart has been successful everywhere he has been. We have lots of talent in the minors and the Braves will have lots of cap room to add top-notch veterans for the 2017 season. So look out N.L. the Brave will be back fully stocked and loaded in two short years!
Two words: Bob Gibson
Yep and Tommy Seaver and that one season that Steve Blass had back in ’71
This is not a “best of” list, it is a “most paid” list. The pitchers you mentioned will get their due.
I think you didn’t understand what I was saying. I obviously know it
isn’t a “best of” list. I know how to read the name of the article. This list has current players also. Kershaw and Verlander haven’t yet earned their entire contract so maybe that is why they aren’t on it yet, but Cliff Lee for sure should be on here.
This should be in constant dollars, adjusted for inflation. It would still be weighted to the recent past, but probably not quite as much.
yeah, so for example in 1997 Maddux signed an extension with the Braves. At the time it was the largest extension and think most money per year. it was 5 years 57.5 million. Inflation adjustment, that is about 5 years/84.2 million…Russell Martin just signed for a 5 year 82 million contract…crazy
Wow, some overpaid pitchers on this list. Surprising to see guys like Maddux, Glavine, Schilling, and such on here. There wasnt near as much money getting passed around back then as now. Can’t imagine how much Maddux would be making these days.
Isn’t Schilling in a financial mess though? With the failure investment on the gaming company…
former yankees will always dominate the highest paid lists… sad and bad for baseball
They haven’t earned their money yet. Most of the guys on this are retired. 5-10 years from now it’s a whole different story. Guys like Cueto, Shields, Scherzer. Price, Bumgarner, Cain, Hamels are going to be up here…
I agree that Verlander and Kershaw haven’t earned their money yet but Cliff Lee for sure has and should be on the list.
Hmm you are right. I mean Lee has completed 4 years of his 5 year/120 million contract. Maybe he just fell a tad short in terms of total earned. But he will definitely jump this year. Since he earns $25 million.
Shields and Hamels? Not so sure…
Ummm, Cole Hamels up until this point has earned. about 80-90 million dollars. The remainder of his current contracts will pay about 97 million dollars. In 2019 there is a vesting option at 20 million or a 6 million dollar buyout. So yeah Hamels, will have surpassed a lot of these guys in a few years.
Shields, seems like a stretch but he will make over 120+ million for his career. As it stands now, he has made earned close to 40 million. The deal with the Padres has 73 million guaranteed. But there is a 16 million dollar option or a 2 million dollar buy out in 2019. So do the math and both Hamels and Shields will have surpassed a few guys on the list.
I am surprised that Mo is high up on that list in terms of money. I knew he got paid but wow. In terms of relievers/closer, he is the best I have seen. I have always liked him. Just the way he carries himself, non-arrogant and his respect for the game.
The article said #1 would surprise me. Randy Johnson was my FIRST guess. I mean heIl, I feel like anyone who followed baseball over the last few decades could’ve answered that.
The amount of commenters that aren’t able to understand from the title which states Top 20 Richest MLB Pitchers of All-Time, or the fact that their earnings are listed, or the fact that the write-ups talk about their earnings, that this clickbait is about earnings and not talent is extremely amusing.
Curt Schillling and Randy Johnson were the one-two punch in the 2001 World Series!
Curt Schilling blew his mother load of money on a video game idea that bombed.