The Richest Baseball Players in 2025 (Net‑Worth World Series)
Updated on
Published on
Baseball’s romance with colossal numbers extends far beyond the box score. This report ranks the richest baseball players using what can be verified: lifetime on-field earnings, the guarantees on current contracts, and documented off-field income or equity stakes; it also shows who sits atop the highest MLB salaries board in 2025 and why cash flow structure (deferrals vs. no-deferrals) matters for long-term wealth. To keep this defensible, every major figure is tied to a primary outlet you can click and check.
Methodology (how we built a credible earnings-first ranking)
- Earnings base first. We start with official contract terms and year-by-year cash from MLB.com, AP, Reuters, ESPN, and Spotrac to establish the hard floor for the richest baseball players list.
- 2025 context. We list the players with the highest MLB salaries by cash (and note CBT/AAV where relevant), because current-year inflows accelerate compounding even when total net worth is still building.
- Off-field & equity. When a Tier-1 source reports endorsements (Forbes) or ownership approvals (NBA/AP/Reuters), we add that to the picture—without speculating beyond what’s published.
- No guesswork. If a number isn’t supported by a Tier-1 citation, we frame it as earnings-based positioning rather than a hard net-worth figure. This keeps the richest baseball players discussion factual while still explaining who benefits most from the highest MLB salaries in 2025.
Earnings-based leaders (with the contracts that put them there)
Alex Rodriguez (retired)
A-Rod remains the reference point for the richest baseball players on lifetime MLB salary—Spotrac tracks ~$455M in career pay—and he now holds controlling co-ownership (with Marc Lore) of the NBA Timberwolves/Lynx, formally approved by the NBA Board of Governors on June 24, 2025. That combination of historic earnings and equity keeps him central to any wealth conversation in baseball, even post-retirement.
Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
Ohtani’s 10-year, $700M contract is heavily deferred ($680M), keeping his CBT/AAV impact near $46M while minimizing near-term cash—yet his off-field income is historic: $102.5M total 2025 earnings with ~$100M off-field, per Forbes. That mix places him among the richest baseball players by earning power while still touching the highest MLB salaries conversation via the luxury-tax AAV.
Juan Soto (Mets)
Soto signed 15 years/$765M with the Mets (opt-out after five years; $75M signing bonus; no deferred money). MLB details a 2025–26 salary of $46.875M, the clear #1 among the highest MLB salaries this season. That cash-heavy structure rapidly lifts him toward the front of the richest baseball players under 30.
Mike Trout (Angels)
Trout’s 12-year/$426.5M deal still anchors his wealth trajectory and keeps him entrenched among the richest baseball players; with salaries in the mid-to-high 30s per year, he sits just beneath this year’s highest MLB salaries summit but continues to compound lifetime earnings.
Bryce Harper (Phillies)
Harper’s 13-year/$330M contract isn’t the top of the highest MLB salaries in a single season, but the long runway of guaranteed pay, steady marketing value, and postseason exposure sustains his place within the richest baseball players cohort.
Manny Machado (Padres)
Machado’s 2023 11-year/$350M extension (full no-trade, no opt-outs) is a blueprint for prime-age wealth building: while his single-season number may not always crack the highest MLB salaries, the guarantee keeps him right with the richest baseball players by earnings base.
Aaron Judge (Yankees)
Judge’s 9-year/$360M pact locks a $40M AAV, historically the top mark for a position player and perennially in the highest MLB salaries tier. Between captain-level relevance and endorsements, he remains a fixture among the richest baseball players.
Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Betts’ 12-year/$365M extension and star status on a marquee franchise keep him squarely in the richest baseball players set, even when a given season’s number isn’t the absolute peak of the highest MLB salaries list.
Gerrit Cole (Yankees)
Cole’s 9-year/$324M contract remains the rotation benchmark; his opt-out mechanics aside, most seasons he rides near the top of the highest MLB salaries, cementing his place among the richest baseball players by lifetime earnings.
Corey Seager (Rangers)
Seager’s 10-year/$325M agreement illustrates how elite shortstops can live near the highest MLB salaries tier for years and, with postseason hardware, join the richest baseball players conversation earlier than most.
Justin Verlander (Giants, 2025)
Verlander’s career salary sits just over $409M (Spotrac), trailing only A-Rod on several lifetime boards; another year of rotation pay—modest by his standards—still pushes his standing within the richest baseball players, even if he’s no longer near the highest MLB salaries for a single season.
Max Scherzer (Rangers 2024–25)
Scherzer helped set the ceiling with $43.3M AAV seasons in New York/Texas; Spotrac places his career salary in the mid-$300Ms, with deferred money still due, keeping him relevant among the richest baseball players while his historical AAV remains a touchstone in highest MLB salaries debates.
2025 snapshot: the highest MLB salaries (cash & CBT context)
- Juan Soto (Mets) — $61.875M 2025 total cash (salary plus signing-bonus allocation): the top of the highest MLB salaries board, and a defining data point for how prime-age superstars will structure guarantees going forward. Spotrac+1
- Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) — minimal 2025 cash by design, but CBT/AAV ~ $46.08M places him inside the highest MLB salaries conversation for tax math even as the deferral plan maximizes roster flexibility; endorsements bridge the near-term cash gap. CBSSports.com
- Top AAV reference set — Judge $40M, Cole $36M+, Scherzer/Verlander $43.3M in peak seasons, Seager $31–35M cash path: the numbers front offices cite whenever highest MLB salaries ceilings are debated. AxiosMLB.com
What to watch in 2025–2026
- Endorsement gravity. Ohtani’s $100M-class off-field income shows the richest baseball players will be shaped as much by brand power as by the highest MLB salaries posted on a roster page. Forbes
- Contract design. Soto’s no-deferral structure may push future megadeals toward higher present-value guarantees, re-ordering both net worth trajectories and the highest MLB salaries leaderboard. ESPN.com
- Equity stakes. A-Rod’s 2025 approval as an NBA controlling owner is the clearest example of how the richest baseball players can extend wealth beyond the highest MLB salaries through franchise ownership. NBA.com: NBA Communications
FAQ
Who tops 2025’s cash leaderboard?
Juan Soto at $61.875M total cash this season—#1 among the highest MLB salaries. Spotrac
Who has the biggest current contract?
Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year/$700M (heavy deferrals; CBT/AAV ~ $46M)—elite earnings power plus unprecedented endorsements among the richest baseball players. MLB.comCBSSports.com
Which lifetime earner still sets the bar?
Alex Rodriguez—about $455M in MLB salary, plus NBA team control approved in 2025—remains a north star in any richest baseball players discussion. Spotrac
Where do Judge and Cole fit in?
Judge’s $40M AAV and Cole’s $324M deal keep each near the highest MLB salaries, reinforcing their place among the richest baseball players by career earnings. Axios
Is cash or AAV more important for 2025?
Both: AAV defines the highest MLB salaries for tax math, while actual cash flow—especially no-deferral structures—compounds net worth faster for the richest baseball players. Spotrac
Why doesn’t this show speculative net-worth dollar figures?
We anchor to verifiable earnings and guarantees; that’s the most defensible way to rank the richest baseball players while also showing who owns the highest MLB salaries this year.
Sources
- MLB.com: Ohtani deferrals & CBT; Trout $426.5M; Harper $330M; Machado 11/$350M; Seager 10/$325M. MLB.com+3MLB.com+3MLB.com+3Spotrac
- ESPN/AP/Reuters: Soto 15/$765M (no deferrals, $75M bonus; salary schedule); Judge 9/$360M; NBA approval of Lore/Rodriguez control. ESPN.comBaseball ReferenceAxiosReuters
- Spotrac/Baseball-Reference: Career-earnings boards; 2025 cash trackers (highest MLB salaries); A-Rod $455M; Verlander/Scherzer career totals. Spotrac+4Spotrac+4Spotrac+4
- Forbes: Ohtani 2025 earnings ($102.5M, ~$100M off-field). Forbes
Bottom line
In 2025, the richest baseball players are being reshaped by three engines—historic guarantees, present-day cash at the highest MLB salaries, and brand income or equity—with Soto (no-deferral cash) and Ohtani (endorsements + record deal) writing the new rules while lifetime earners like A-Rod, Trout, Verlander, and Scherzer keep the record books crowded.
.webp)
