Major League Baseball players are making more money than ever in 2016. Team net worths and competition for talent is increasing salaries at an alarming rate. It seems that lately, players and their agents are having a field day. Just look at Stephen Strasburg’s latest $175 million deal. Not a bad take for someone who has a history of elbow issues. While MLB players make some serious coin, some players are far wealthier than others, and some have much longer contracts and much higher net worths to speak of.
This is why the highest-paid players in the league may or may not come as a bit of a surprise. USA Today recently reported the annual salary, contract length, and terms for every player in MLB for 2016 and it shows that Clayton Kershaw tops the list for 2016. Who joins him in the other 14 spots to round out the list of highest-paid players in the MLB based on their 2016 salary alone?
Read on to find out.
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Mark Teixeira – $23,125,000
The first baseman for the New York Yankees rounds out the list of the highest-paid MLB stars of 2016. He’s making more than $23 million per year right now with his impressive contract. The Yankees have a contract for “Tex” for eight years with 2016 being the eighth and final year of his contract. There is currently no word on what his future holds, but for now he is making some serious bank. His eight-year contract was worth a grand total of $180 million. Did the Yankees spend wisely?
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Josh Hamilton – $24 million
Josh Hamilton is currently the left fielder for the Texas Rangers who has been marred with injuries ever since he joined the team after being traded from the Angels. He’s been playing with his current contract for most of the five years he signed on for now. The contract lasts through 2017 guaranteeing him a grand total of more than $24 million per year to play ball. His total contract is worth $125 million. It’s safe to say that the Rangers are getting hosed on this one.
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Prince Fielder – $24 million
The Texas Ranger is one of the highest-paid baseball players in 2016 thanks to the impressive terms of his 9-year contract with the team. Fielder is currently is a designated hitter/1B for the team thanks to his impressive skills behind the plate. Fielder’s long and consistent batting career has led him to his term with this team, the third of his professional career, and it includes a 9-year contract worth $214 million through 2020.
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Robinson Cano – $24 million
Cano the Seattle Mariner who plays second base for the team and is currently having what many to be the best season of his career. His $24 million per year paycheck in 2016 puts him among the top 15 highest-paid players in the game for the year, as well as one of the players on the list with the longest contract. He has a 10-year contract with the Mariners that’s worth a grand total of $240 million. Looks like it’s finally starting to pay off.
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CC Sabathia – $25 million
CC Sabathia is one of the most famous baseball players of the new millennium, and for good reason. While his game isn’t nearly what it used to be, he has one of the most impressive starting pitchers careers to date. With an annual salary of $25 million, he’s among the highest-paid players in the league right now. His contract is for five years and it ends in 2016, paying him a grand total of $122 million. There’s a very good chance he won’t be earning nearly as much once contract negotiations resume.
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Ryan Howard – $25 million
The first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies knows a thing or two about the game but definitely not lately. Once one of the most feared hitters in the game, he has an annual income of $25 million for 2016, making him one of the highest-paid players of the year. Not bad considering he isn’t even batting .200 yet. His 5-year contract ends in 2016, leaving him with a grand total earning of $125 million. Many say that the Phillies made a big mistake extending Howard for five years at that price point.
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Jon Lester – $25 million
Lester currently plays for the Chicago Cubs, and was one of the team’s most sought-after players in the 2015 offseason. Lester parlayed his playoff prowess into some seriously big bucks after his performance for the A’s. Lester is making a staggering $25 million in 2016 alone. His 6-year contract is only in the midst of its second year, ending in 2020. The contract is worth an impressive $155 million, which is in the top 10 for starting pitchers.
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Albert Pujols – $25 million
Pujols will go down as one of the best players in the history baseball. Playing first base for the Los Angeles Angels, he’s one of the franchise’s most valuable players. Last year he had a resurgence topping 30 HRs for what appears to be his gazillionth time. With an annual income for 2016 of $25 million, he makes it into the top 10 as far as the highest-paid players of the year. Along with only two other top 15 highest-paid players of the year, he has a 10-year contract with his current team. Worth $240 million, his contract ends in 2021.
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Felix Hernandez – $25,857,143
The Seattle Mariner fireballer is worth almost $26 million this year in terms of just his salary, and that doesn’t even count the fact that he has other income from endorsements and other lucrative jobs as well. Right now Hernandez is among the wealthiest men of the year in terms of his annual income on the team, and he has three more years of this. His 9-year contract is worth $175 million, and it ends in 2019. Fernandez has been one of the most consistently solid starting pitchers of this millennium and his contract reflects that.
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Yoenis Cespedes – $27,328,046
The New York Mets center fielder is one of the biggest assets to his team, is off to an amazing start, and that is reflected in his salary for 2016 which is more than $27 million. With a three-year contract with the Mets, he’s making a grand total of $75 million. It was a suprirse that Yoenis signed with the Mets on such a short deal but given his performance with the team so far, he could make even more money after his three years are up. As far as outfielders go, he’s tops in the league, both skills wise and earnings wise.
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Justin Verlander – $28 million
Justin Verlander is one of the most recognized names in baseball, as well he should be. While his skills aren’t nearly what they used to be, he’s still making plenty of dough. The Detroit Tigers flamethrower is making a staggering $28 million in 2016 alone. His seven-year contract lasts from 2013 to 2019, and it’s worth approximately $180 million. As one of the most successful pitchers in league history for the Tigers, Verlander definitely earned his contract back in 2013 but as of late, he’s been pretty disappointing. Maybe Kate Upton has something to do with it.
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Miguel Cabrera – $28 million
The Detroit Tiger powerhouse plays first base and is considered one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s also considered one of the best hitters in the entire history of baseball. Cabrera has an annual salary of $28 million in 2016. His contract is the third of the 10-year contracts among the top 15 players on the highest-paid list and it is worth $292 million. His mega deal will last from 2014 to 2023 which should keep him among the highest-paid with this contract.
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David Price – $30 million
Pitchers are paid handsomely in the MLB, especially when they are the starting pitcher for one of the most well-known teams in the nation. David Price plays for the Boston Red Sox, and he is paid a staggering $30 million in just 2016. His contract is 7-years long, and it is only in the first year. He will make a grand total of $217 million through 2022 with his current contract, provided his health allows for that.
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Zack Greinke – $31,799,030
Greinke is currently the #1 starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and another of the pitchers to top the list of highest-paid players in the MLB in 2016. With an annual income in 2016 of $31,799,030, he is the second highest-paid player of the year. His current contract which was signed in the offseason is for 6 years. He will make $206.5 million from now until 2021 with the current terms of his lucrative contract. Greinke had a historic year last year so his deal came as a surprise to no one.
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Clayton Kershaw – $33 million
Clayton Kershaw has the honor of being the MLB player with the biggest paycheck of the year with an impressive $33 million to be made in 2016 alone. Does he deserve it? Absolutely. Kershaw will go down as one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball and he’s showing no signs of slowing down this year. Kershaw is in the third year of his 7-year contract with the Dodgers. By the time his contract is up in 2020, he will have earned a grand total of $215 million.
By the way, we haven’t even talked about how much money Bryce Harper is eventually going to make. Some say he might be the first MLB player to sign a $500 million deal.
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