We are slowly creeping our way to the start of baseball season which means huge new contracts are being signed, sealed, and delivered!
Now in a world where we see NBA and NFL players securing absolutely massive contracts, we tend to forget that MLB players are ‘silent killers’ as well. Professional baseball players have proven over time that they can land some of the biggest contracts in sports history. History was made this off-season with the biggest ever contract being signed between the highly desirable Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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While the NBA and NFL have salary caps limit how much a player can be paid, MLB contracts have no formal restrictions. Theoretically, players can make as much money as their teams are willing to pay them, although teams in recent years have become more austere and reluctant to pay the luxury tax. To wit, baseball players can remain productive deep into their 30s; Baseball players aren’t getting banged and bruised up as much as their counterparts, making the injury rates relatively low. As such, an MLB career can last up to twenty years, especially for sluggers who can now take advantage of the newly-installed universal DH rule.
Nerdy sports facts aside, baseball players can land some monumental deals. Here is a list of the highest-paid baseball players who are active today, as well as the highest-paid baseball players in the history of the league.
Let’s start with the present.