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It's been hard to ignore the richness and allure of Major League Baseball contracts in recent years, particularly in light of the physical demands of football. Thanks to some shrewd planning, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, which is valued at $700 million and will be distributed over 20 years.

Nobody paid attention when Aaron Judge, a free agent worth $360 million, was signed by the New York Yankees during the previous offseason. Therefore, enroll your kids in baseball if you want to spend your golden years touring Europe.

The following is a list of the richest baseball players of all time, according on their career earnings.

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time
Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

How much do MLB players make?

The MLB minimum salary is $740,000 each season, and its players earn an average of $4.5 million.

The MLB Players Association reported a 7.1% raise.

The epidemic reduced average MLB salaries, but they have increased by more than 20% over the last two seasons.

Top 10 Richest MLB Players of All Time

1. Alex Rodriguez

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $350 million

- Career span: 1994-2016

- Nationality: United States

Former baseball player and TV pundit Alex Rodriguez is worth $350 million. Alex Rodriguez played for the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, but is best known for the Yankees. Player retired in 2017 after playing for Yankees since 2004. Alex earned $475 million in MLB salary over his career, as we will see. He became very wealthy in retirement after receiving $100-200 million in endorsements.

The commercially savvy A-Rod founded A-Rod Corp., a holding company that has invested in real estate, construction, and startups. His entrepreneurial drive has led to a variety of projects and collaborations, proving his adaptability and success outside of baseball.

READ MORE: Top 10 Most Expensive Baseball Bats Of All Time

2. Derek Jeter

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $200 million

- Career span: 1995-2014

- Nationality: United States

In his spare time, Derek Jeter has been very busy. It was started by Jeter in 2014, and Minute Media bought it in 2019 for an unknown amount of money. After three years, Jeter was part of a group that paid about $1.2 billion to buy the Miami Marlins. Jeter has endorsement deals with Jordan Brand and Gatorade in addition to the hundreds of millions of dollars he makes on the field.

3. Ichiro Suzuki

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $180 million

- Career span: 2001-2019

- Nationality: Japan

Ichiro Suzuki is a retired Japanese Major League Baseball player who is thought to be worth $180 million. Ichiro Suzuki made $170 million in pay during his time in Major League Baseball. Ads have brought him just as much money, if not more. Mostly in his home country.

Before his last game in 2019, Ichiro played in 28 seasons in several top-level baseball leagues. People remember him most for his time with the Seattle Mariners, but he also played for the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins.

4. Albert Pujols

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $170 million

- Career span: 2001-2022

- Nationality: Dominican Republic/United States

The Cardinals' highest salary for Albert Pujols was $14.5 million. His latest St. Louis contract was $100 million over seven years. His highest Angels base salary was $28 million. Endorsements brought him $7 million per year at his peak.

Albert Pujols signed a $254 million, 10-year contract with the Angels on December 8, 2011. It was baseball's second-largest contract at the time, behind Alex Rodriguez's 10-year $275 million Yankees contract. Pujols' contract is baseball's third over $200 million.

Between June 2017 and June 2018, Albert Pujols earned $30 million in salary and endorsements, mostly income.

5. Justin Verlander

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $150 million

- Career span: 2005-present

- Nationality: United States

Justin inked a seven-year, $180 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. From 2017 to 2018, Justin Verlander earned $30 million in salary and sponsorships. That was enough to make him one of the world's highest-paid athletes. In March 2019, he signed a two-year, $66 million contract with the Houston Astros. In December 2022, Justin inked a two-year $86 million contract with the New York Mets.

6. Miguel Cabrera

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $145 million

- Career span: 2003-2023

- Nationality: Venezuela

Even though Miguel Cabrera is one of the best hitters of his generation, not many companies have backed him. Cabrera was in ads for Chrysler, but most of his money came from his great play on the field, where he had 3,101 hits, 507 home runs, and more than $400 million in contracts.

Cabrera did put money into a candy business, but it didn't work out. His last game was in 2023, but he hasn't forgotten about his beloved Detroit Tigers. He is now a special assistant to the president of baseball operations.

7. Zack Greinke

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $120 million

- Career span: 2004-present

- Nationality: United States

Zack Greinke's 2015 contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks was previously the highest average annual contract in baseball history. Greinke made more than $34 million every year, for a total of $206 million. Greinke, who has two ERA titles and 224 wins, will return to the Kansas City Royals in 2021 after spending his first seven major league seasons there.

He signed a one-year contract with the Royals for $8.5 million in 2023, but he has been a free agency since the season concluded.

8. Ryan Howard

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $120 million

- Career span: 2004-2016

- Nationality: United States

Ryan Howard was one of the most visible athletes throughout his career. He held endorsements from Subway, Adidas, Powerade, and Verizon. Howard made more than $180 million while with the Philadelphia Phillies, when he blasted 382 home runs. He is now an accomplished children's literature author.

9. Robinson Canó

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $110 million

- Career span: 2005-2022

- Nationality: Dominican Republic/United States

There is a Dominican baseball player named Robinson Canó who is worth $110 million. Robinson Canó is best known for being an All-Star four times, winning the Silver Slugger Award three times, and being on the Yankees' 2009 World Series winning team.

A little less than $200 million was Canó's salary in his first 15 years in Major League Baseball. He is one of the twenty best-paid baseball players of all time. Robinson would have made more during that time, but he was suspended for the 2021 season in November 2020 after failing a PED test.

He will have to pay at least $24 million to make up for the suspension. This was his second time being banned for PED. Robinson was already kicked out of 80 games in 2018.

10. Joey Votto

Top 10 Richest MLB Players Of All Time

- Net worth: $110 million

- Career span: 2007-2023

- Nationality: Canada

Joey Votto's career with the Reds earned him more than $220 million, so he has plenty of cash to spend. In 2019, Votto bought a house in California for $10.5 million. He has also pulled some famous pranks, like buying a teammate a donkey and sending 51 pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen to Ichiro Suzuki.

Following the 2022–2023 season, he quit Major League Baseball to sign a minor league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, a team from his home city.

Conclusion

There is no question about who is the highest paid MLB player today, but the amount of money the top players earn is startling.

MLB salaries are increasing, but this can be a major issue for the teams who pay them.

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