Who are the highest paid baseball players in the world? March 31, 2013 is Major League Baseball's opening day so we thought it would be appropriate to take a look at how much the top players are raking in. One of the best things about being a Major League Baseball player is that, unlike the NFL, every contract is guaranteed. That means as soon as the deal is signed, you are entitled to 100% of it regardless of performance, injury or trade. Unfortunately that kind of deal can backfire on the teams if they spend a fortune to lock up a player who doesn't end up working out. Several people on this list of the highest paid baseball players signed monster contracts only to get injured or perform poorly the very next season. When that happens, fans scream for the players to give the money back or re-negotiate, but why would a player ever agree to do that? In this list we'll take a look at 19 elite hitters, catchers and pitchers who are raking in serious coin every season. Keep in mind this list is just contract salaries, it does not include money earned from sponsorships and endorsements. When combined, the highest paid baseball players are paid $364 million per year. So what do you think? Are these guys worth it?
The 50 Highest Paid Baseball Players:
- 1. Alex Rodriguez – $29 Million
- 2. Johan Santana – $25.2 Million
- 3. Cliff Lee – $25 Million
- 4. Vernon Wells – $24.6 Million
- 5. Mark Teixeira – $23.1 Million
- 6. C.C. Sabathia – $23 Million
- 7. Prince Fielder – $23 Million
- 8. Joe Mauer – $23 Million
- 9. Tim Lincecum – $22.25 Million
- 10. Adrian Gonzalez – $21.8 Million
- 11. Miguel Cabrera – $21.0 Million
- 12. Carl Crawford – $20.85 Million
- 13. Matt Cain – $20.83 Million
- 14. Cole Hamels – $20.5 Million
- 15. Matt Kemp – $20.25 Million
- 16. Justin Verlander – $20.1 Million
- 17. Roy Halladay – $20 Million
- 18. Ryan Howard – $20 Million
- 19. Barry Zito – $20 Million
- 20. Felix Hernandez – $19.8 Million
- 21. Alfonso Soriano – $19 Million
- 22. Joey Votto – $19 Million
- 23. Zack Greinke – $19 Million
- 24. Josh Hamilton – $17.4 Million
- 25. Derek Jeter – $17 Million
- 26. Matt Holliday – $17 Million
- 27. Josh Beckett – $17 Million
- 28. Jayson Werth – $16.5 Million
- 29. A.J. Burnett – $16.5 Million
- 30. Jeff Weaver – $16.2 Million
- 31. Albert Pujols – $16 Million
- 32. Adrian Beltre – $16 Million
- 33. Michael Young – $16 Million
- 34. John Lackey – $15.95 Million
- 35. John Danks – $15.75 Million
- 36. Nick Markakis – $15.35 Million
- 37. Hanley Ramirez – $15.35 Million
- 38. Chase Utley – $15.2 Million
- 39. Adam Dunn – $15 Million
- 40. Justin Morneau – $15 Million
- 41. Robinson Cano – $15 Million
- 42. Curtis Granderson – $15 Million
- 43. Hiroki Kuroda – $15 Million
- 44. David Ortiz – $14.5 Million
- 45. Jake Peavy – $14.5 Million
- 46. Yadier Molina – $14.2 Million
- 47. Ryan Zimmerman – $14.1 Million
- 48. Jose Bautista – $14 Million
- 49. Hunter Pence – $13.8 Million
- 50. Josh Johnson – $13.75 Million
