Free agency did not exist in MLB prior to the end of the reserve clause in the 1970s, resulting in significantly lower salaries during that period. Babe Ruth, widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players ever, earned an estimated $910,696 ($14,575,568 inflation-adjusted from 1935 dollars) over his entire playing career. When asked in 1929 whether he thought he should earn more than President Herbert Hoover Ruth famously remarked “Why not, I had a better year than he did.”
Highest paid players for 2011
| Name |
Position |
Team(s) |
Salary |
|
| Alex Rodriguez |
3B |
New York Yankees |
$32,000,000 |
|
| Vernon Wells |
OF |
Los Angeles Angels |
$26,187,500 |
|
| CC Sabathia |
SP |
New York Yankees |
$24,285,714 |
|
| Mark Teixeira |
1B |
New York Yankees |
$23,125,000 |
|
| Joe Mauer |
C |
Minnesota Twins |
$23,000,000 |
|
| Johan Santana |
SP |
New York Mets |
$21,644,707 |
|
| Todd Helton |
1B |
Colorado Rockies |
$20,275,000 |
|
| Miguel Cabrera |
1B |
Detroit Tigers |
$20,000,000 |
|
| Roy Halladay |
SP |
Philadelphia Phillies |
$20,000,000 |
|
| Ryan Howard |
1B |
Philadelphia Phillies |
$20,000,000 |
|
| Carlos Beltran |
RF |
New York Mets |
$19,325,436 |
|
| Carlos Lee |
LF |
Houston Astros |
$19,000,000 |
|
| Alfonso Soriano |
LF |
Chicago Cubs |
$19,000,000 |
|
| Carlos Zambrano |
SP |
Chicago Cubs |
$18,875,000 |
|
| Torii Hunter |
CF |
Los Angeles Angels |
$18,500,000 |
|
| Barry Zito |
SP |
San Francisco Giants |
$18,500,000 |
|
| Jason Bay |
OF |
New York Mets |
$18,125,000 |
|
| Ichiro Suzuki |
RF |
Seattle Mariners |
$18,000,000 |
|
| Josh Beckett |
SP |
Boston Red Sox |
$17,000,000 |
|
| A.J. Burnett |
SP |
New York Yankees |
$16,500,000 |
|
Career Earnings
| Name |
Team(s) |
Position |
Years |
Earnings |
|
| Alex Rodriguez |
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
New York Yankees |
SS/3B |
1994– |
$264,416,252 |
|
| Derek Jeter |
New York Yankees |
SS |
1995– |
$205,430,000 |
|
| Manny Ramirez |
Cleveland Indians
Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles Dodgers
Chicago White Sox
Tampa Bay Rays |
LF |
1993–2011 |
$204,807,006 |
|
| Barry Bonds |
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Francisco Giants |
LF |
1986–2007 |
$188,245,322 |
|
| Randy Johnson |
Montreal Expos
Seattle Mariners
Houston Astros
Arizona Diamondbacks
New York Yankees
San Francisco Giants |
SP |
1988–2009 |
$175,550,019 |
|
| Gary Sheffield |
Milwaukee Brewers
San Diego Padres
Florida Marlins
Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves
New York Yankees
Detroit Tigers
New York Mets |
RF |
1988–2009 |
$168,008,550 |
|
| Greg Maddux |
Chicago Cubs
Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres |
SP |
1986–2008 |
$153,845,000 |
|
| Roger Clemens |
Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees
Houston Astros |
SP |
1984–2007 |
$151,470,972 |
|
| Ken Griffey, Jr. |
Seattle Mariners
Cincinatti Reds
Chicago White Sox |
CF |
1988–2010 |
$149,353,682 |
|
| Pedro Martínez |
Los Angeles Dodgers
Montreal Expos
Boston Red Sox
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies |
SP |
1992–2010 |
$147,259,585 |
|
| Carlos Delgado |
Toronto Blue Jays
Florida Marlins
New York Mets |
1B |
1993– |
$146,299,000 |
|
| Mike Mussina |
Baltimore Orioles
New York Yankees |
SP |
1991–2008 |
$144,533,619 |
|
| Chipper Jones |
Atlanta Braves |
3B |
1993– |
$141,552,133 |
|
| Jim Thome |
Cleveland Indians
Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins |
1B/DH |
1991– |
$138,461,667 |
|
| John Smoltz |
Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox
St. Louis Cardinals |
SP/RP |
1988–2009 |
$135,595,446 |
|
| Todd Helton |
Colorado Rockies |
1B |
1998– |
$131,315,000 |
|
| Kevin Brown |
Texas Rangers
Baltimore Orioles
Florida Marlins
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers
New York Yankees |
SP |
1986–2005 |
$130,890,502 |
|
| Jason Giambi |
Oakland Athletics
New York Yankees
Colorado Rockies |
1B/DH |
1995– |
$130,808,996 |
|
| Mariano Rivera |
New York Yankees |
RP |
1995– |
$129,530,125 |
|
| Tom Glavine |
Atlanta Braves
New York Mets |
SP |
1987–2008 |
$128,639,293 |
|
