Ranking Every MLB Player Making Over $25M in 2024
Zachary D. RymerApril 12, 2024Ranking Every MLB Player Making Over $25M in 20240 of 15
Mookie or Shohei? Shohei or Mookie?JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images
As the years go by, ranking all the players making over $25 million in any given MLB season is only becoming a bigger undertaking.
A decade ago, only three players were in this club. Now it has 31 active players, and that’s only from looking at what Spotrac deems “Payroll Salaries.” Some players’ 2024 earnings are fudged by signing bonuses, including Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Still, the ranking must go on.
Ordering the 31 guys in question was less about what they’ve done in the past and more about how likely they are or aren’t to earn their money in 2024. Think of it as a draft. If given a chance to choose these guys for a team based on their present ability and salary, who would you pick and in what order?
The guys who made the cut for the top 10 will be discussed individually. The bottom 21 will be broken into tiers that encapsulate where they are in their careers.
31-27: Stars Who’ve Left Their Primes Behind1 of 15
Giancarlo StantonLeslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
31. 3B Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels
Age: 33
Salary (Rank): $38.6 million (6th)
2024 Stats: 10 G, 44 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, .150 AVG, .227 OBP, .200 SLG
It’s a mind-altering experience to look back and realize that Rendon actually did have a good debut as an Angel in 2020. Nobody could have anticipated then that only 158 games’ worth of replacement-level production would follow. But, hey, at least he’s not losing sleep over it.
30. 1B Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies
Age: 32
Salary (Rank): $28.0 million (20th)
2024 Stats: 11 G, 47 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB, .100 AVG, .234 OBP, .175 SLG
At least Bryant is healthy after getting into only 122 games and posting minus-0.6 rWAR in his first two seasons as a Rockie. But since his power has now been missing in action for several years, it would be hard to feign optimism even if he wasn’t clearly miserable in Denver.
29. LHP Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals
Age: 34
Salary (Rank): $35.4 million (9th)
2024 Stats: 3 GS, 16.0 IP, 27 H (2 HR), 10 K, 4 BB, 8.44 ERA
The Nationals would not have won the World Series in 2019 without Corbin, and let’s not underrate how he’s continued to post in making 108 starts since 2020. But such niceties only do so much to cover up for minus-1.9 rWAR in this span, and it’s as simple as that.
28. SS Javier Báez, Detroit Tigers
Age: 31
Salary (Rank): $25 million (31st)
2024 Stats: 9 G, 35 PA, 0 HR, 3 SB, .152 AVG, .171 OBP, .152 SLG
That Báez still plays a solid shortstop is nice, but his zone discipline is a long-lost cause and that loopy swing of his just keeps slowing down. He has 11 strikeouts and zero walks this year, further adding to his offensive downfall. He has a .624 OPS as a Tiger.
27. DH Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees
Age: 34
Salary (Rank): $32 million (16th)
2024 Stats: 11 G, 45 PA, 4 HR, 0 SB, .256 AVG, .289 OBP, .605 SLG
See Stanton. See Stanton go boom. That’s never not fun! But then one remembers that he’s a bat-only player whose bat has many holes. Despite his recent hotness, his 2-to-16 walk-to-strikeout ratio and fifth-percentile chase rate are ticking time bombs.
26-22: They’re Aces…When They’re Healthy2 of 15
Gerrit ColeNew York Yankees/Getty Images
26. RHP Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers
Age: 35
Salary (Rank): $40.0 million (4th)
The expectation is that deGrom will be back from his second Tommy John surgery after the All-Star break. The hope is that he’ll go back to pitching like the guy who won two Cy Young Awards amid a historically dominant run in the late 2010s. The reality…well, who knows?
25. RHP Max Scherzer, Texas Rangers
Age: 39
Salary (Rank): $43.3 million (2nd)
Scherzer, meanwhile, is due to rejoin the Rangers’ rotation in June after he completes his recovery from surgery to repair a herniated disk. He’ll be 40 on July 27, yet some bullishness is in order. Even as his velocity has devolved, he’s remained an effective pitcher.
24. RHP Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
Age: 41
Salary (Rank): $43.3 million (3rd)
Verlander should be back from shoulder inflammation before May, at which point he’ll have to show what he can still do after turning 41 on February 20. Yet it’s not unreasonable to expect him to at least replicate last year’s 3.22 ERA. Some guys can just plain pitch.
23. RHP Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
Age: 33
Salary (Rank): $36.0 million (8th)
Will Cole pitch like the guy who won the American League Cy Young Award last year when he comes back in June? It feels too good to be true. But then again, the UCL in his right elbow didn’t need a repair. Just rest. There’s something hopeful about that.
22-19: Are We Sure These Guys Are Still Good?3 of 15
Trea TurnerGreg Fiume/Getty Images
22. LHP Carlos Rodón, New York Yankees
Age: 31
Salary (Rank): $27.8 million (21st)
2024 Stats: 3 GS, 15.2 IP, 16 H (2 HR), 13 K, 7 BB, 1.72 ERA
Rodón’s ERA for this season is more than five runs lower than the dismal 6.85 ERA he posted in his Yankees debut last year. Which is great! But with his strikeout, walk and whiff rates having all taken turns for the worse, let’s pump the brakes on proclaiming him to be “back.”
21. 3B Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 32
Salary (Rank): $35.0 million (T-10th)
2024 Stats: 13 G, 56 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, .245 AVG, .268 OBP, .302 SLG
Arenado’s age began to show last year, and it’s really showing at the outset of 2024. He has only one walk and, even more alarmingly, has lost 4.4 mph off his average exit velocity. With questions also looming over his defense, it’s fair to at least press pause on his stardom.
20. 2B Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres
Age: 31
Salary (Rank): $25.5 million (30th)
2024 Stats: 15 G, 64 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, .237 AVG, .297 OBP, .322 SLG
The wrist injury that Bogaerts played through for much of 2023 obviously didn’t help, but it’s still no fun at all to look and see him hitting .271 with a modest .747 OPS over his last 152 games. And he’s not even a shortstop anymore.
19. SS Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
Age: 30
Salary (Rank): $27.8 million (24th)
2024 Stats: 13 G, 57 PA, 0 HR, 4 SB, .275 AVG, .351 OBP, .314 SLG
It took until August for Turner to rediscover his stardom last year, so it’s not the best sign that he’s off to a slow start yet again. The speed is still there, obviously, but among the red flags elsewhere on his profile are a rising strikeout rate and ongoing issues with fastballs.
18-16: MVPs Who Are Hanging in There4 of 15
Christian YelichJohn Fisher/Getty Images
18. 1B Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
Age: 36
Salary (Rank): $26.0 million (T-26th)
2024 Stats: 12 G, 52 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB, .182 AVG, .294 OBP, .250 SLG
Last year saw Goldschmidt author a disappointing follow-up to his MVP-winning season in 2022, but his metrics offered an excuse for optimism. And one can still cling to that now…albeit with more trepidation, especially with his age lurking in the background.
17. LF Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
Age: 32
Salary (Rank): $26.0 million (T-26th)
2024 Stats: 10 G, 45 PA, 5 HR, 2 SB, .316 AVG, .409 OBP, .737 SLG
Yelich’s absurd year-and-a-half run in 2018 and 2019, when he hit .342 with 69 homers and 40 stolen bases in 195 games, is a memory at this point. Yet there have been times when it still feels alive, including right now. Here’s hoping [/crosses fingers] he stays healthy.
16. CF Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs
Age: 28
Salary (Rank): $27.5 million (24th)
2024 Stats: 12 G, 55 PA, 2 HR, 0 SB, .191 AVG, .291 OBP, .340 SLG
This isn’t the start Bellinger wanted after reestablishing himself in 2023, but panic is not in order. His walk rate is up and he’s hitting the ball harder, and he likewise remains a difference-maker on defense. As long as these things keep up, he’ll play like a star in time.
15-11: Infielders Who Just Missed5 of 15
Francisco LindorRich Schultz/Getty Images
15. 3B Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
Age: 27
Salary (Rank): $29.3 million (19th)
2024 Stats: 10 G, 46 PA, 2 HR, 0 SB, .184 AVG, .326 OBP, .395 SLG
Devers consistently hitting bolts is the only remedy for the lingering headache that is his defense at the hot corner. He hasn’t done that yet, but MLB-best totals for hard-hit balls and extra-base hits since 2019 don’t leave much doubt that he will eventually.
14. 3B Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
Age: 30
Salary (Rank): $30.5 million (17th)
2024 Stats: 14 G, 59 PA, 0 HR, 1 SB, .241 AVG, .305 OBP, .333 SLG
One still longs for the slugging version of Bregman that made runs at the AL MVP in 2018 and 2019. He’s been up and down since then, with a down indeed happening right now. But like he did in 2022 and 2023, he’ll still likely salvage 25 homers and 4-to-5 rWAR.
13. SS Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
Age: 30
Salary (Rank): $26.0 million (T-26th)
2024 Stats: 12 G, 49 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .268 AVG, .367 OBP, .488 SLG
Swanson has been an All-Star and a Gold Glover in back-to-back seasons, and him making it three in a row for both is something I’d buy for a dollar. Heck, that his exit velocity and hard-hit rate are way up from 2023 have me wondering if he has even bigger ambitions.
12. SS Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins
Age: 29
Salary (Rank): $33.3 million (13th)
2024 Stats: 10 G, 42 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB, .324 AVG, .452 OBP, .471 SLG
Correa had a bad foot in 2023 and it cost him as he posted a .711 OPS (a career low for a full season) and managed 1.4 rWAR. Yet he’s off to a great start and he has the metrics to match, so ranking him here could prove to be a major sleight. Sorry in advance, Carlos.
11. SS Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Age: 30
Salary (Rank): $34.1 million (12th)
2024 Stats: 12 G, 59 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB, .098 AVG, .203 OBP, .176 SLG
Leaving Lindor out of the top 10 feels…wrong. He posted 11.6 rWAR and collected a 30-30 season across 2022 and 2023, so really the only excuse I have is that he’s off to a cold start. And it’s almost certainly just bad luck, as he’s made an MLB-high 15 outs on hard-hit balls.
10. CF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels6 of 15
Mike TroutKevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Age: 32
Salary (Rank): $37.1 million (7th)
2024 Stats: 12 G, 50 PA, 6 HR, 2 SB, .318 AVG, .400 OBP, .795 SLG
If I was writing this two weeks ago, I doubt Mike Trout would have made the top 10.
His 40-homer season in 2022 was nice, but not so nice as to completely distract from the cascade of health issues that kept him off the field for much of the last three seasons. Ultimately, he played in less than half the Angels’ games between 2021 and 2023.
But what can I say? I’m liking what I’m seeing from Trout in 2024.
Los Angeles Angels @Angelsdeep in his bag like a grandma with a peppermint 👝#RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/P6s9D33hwj
The three-time AL MVP has been crushing the ball like everyone knows he’s capable of, but an even more important datapoint concerns his whiff rate. It was in the 26th percentile last year. At the outset of this year, it’s in the 94th percentile.
It’s a taste of the old Trout, who was always great but also always finding ways to shore up whatever weaknesses popped up. Health permitting, it could be the prologue to a renaissance.
9. 2B Jose Altuve, Houston Astros7 of 15
Jose AltuveRon Jenkins/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Age: 33
Salary (Rank): $31.5 million (15th)
2024 Stats: 14 G, 62 PA, 3 HR, 0 SB, .370 AVG, .452 OBP, .648 SLG
Let’s rag on Jose Altuve for a minute.
He’s never been an especially good defender, and you could even call him a bad one if you go off his minus-70 Defensive Runs Saved. He also doesn’t run like he used to, to a point where he might even be a liability on the basepaths.
Of course, none of this really matters.
What does is that this is one of the greatest offensive second basemen ever, and that each passing day only seems to add to his resume. He’s a .308/.393/.536 hitter since the start of 2022. He’s also all but certain to break Manny Ramirez’s playoff home runs record.
There’s also an utter lack of scary stuff in Altuve’s under-the-hood profile, which notably includes a 4.4 mph jump in exit velocity from last season. It’s as if the Astros knew what they were doing when they ponied up yet again to extend him.
8. 1B Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies8 of 15
Bryce HarperGreg Fiume/Getty Images
Age: 31
Salary (Rank): $27.6 million (22nd)
2024 Stats: 12 G, 52 PA, 3 HR, 1 SB, .196 AVG, .288 OBP, .435 SLG
What makes a superstar?
If we’re talking in wins above replacement terms, it’s 5 WAR and above for a single season. Bryce Harper only went there in three of his first 12 seasons, and he existed higher up on the defensive spectrum for most of those.
But then again, how can you not dig a guy who rakes like this?
MLB @MLBBryce Harper FOR THREEEEEEE! 💥 pic.twitter.com/V27rtJJNKn
If Harper finishes this season with at least a 110 OPS+, only he and four others will have ever done so as many as 13 times through their age-31 season. And for career home runs, he came into this year sandwiched between Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig among all-time lefty hitters through their age-30 seasons.
Also, Harper might be really good at the whole first base thing. Despite getting a late start in 2023, he’s tied for second among first basemen in Outs Above Average for the last two years.
7. 1B Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers9 of 15
Freddie FreemanKatharine Lotze/Getty Images
Age: 34
Salary (Rank): $27.0 million (25th)
2024 Stats: 15 G, 67 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, .333 AVG, .448 OBP, .444 SLG
Speaking of first basemen who rake, even Harper must blush when he thinks about the run Freddie Freeman is on.
He’s tracking toward his ninth season with an average of at least .300, as well as his 12th straight season with at least a 130 OPS+. For perspective, inner-circle Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski and Roberto Clemente both had a 130 OPS+ for their entire careers.
Such are Freeman’s rewards for being every kind of good hitter. The discipline and bat-to-ball skills are always there, and he’s just as liable to whack a soft liner through a hole on the infield as he is to hit one a long way.
It’s otherwise a lot of fun that Freeman is a 34-year-old first baseman who’s a menace on the basepaths. He’s not speedy, but the bigger bases were apparently the only invitation he needed to go off for 23 stolen bases and as much baserunning value as CJ Abrams in 2023.
“No notes,” in other words. Freeman just needs to keep doing his thing in 2024, in which case an already compelling Hall of Fame case will only get stronger.
6. 2B Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers10 of 15
Marcus SemienRon Jenkins/Getty Images
Age: 33
Salary (Rank): $26.0 million (T-26th)
2024 Stats: 13 G, 60 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, .294 AVG, .400 OBP, .412 SLG
Remember what Marcus Semien’s first couple of months as a Ranger were like?
Hot off setting a second base record with 45 home runs in 2021, it took him until May 28, 2022 to collect his first long ball as a Ranger. In that time, he hit only .198 with a .498 OPS.
Those were tough times, alright. But fortunately for Semien and the Rangers, they’ve long since ended.
Texas Rangers @RangersMarcus wanted more. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/64SJro64Ra
His last 293 regular season games have yielded an .822 OPS with 56 home runs, 35 stolen bases and enough fWAR to rank as the fourth-most valuable position player in MLB during this span. He’s also continued to be a defensive standout, tallying the third-most Outs Above Average of any second baseman since 2022.
One therefore doesn’t have much, if any, doubt that Semien will once again get ample support in the American League MVP voting this year. If he finishes in the top three, it’ll be for the fourth time in six years.
5. SS Corey Seager, Texas Rangers11 of 15
Corey SeagerCooper Neill/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Age: 29
Salary (Rank): $35.0 million (T-10th)
2024 Stats: 11 G, 51 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB, .311 AVG, .392 OBP, .400 SLG
There must be people out there who instinctively cross their fingers every time Corey Seager steps between the lines.
He’s spent a good chunk of his career on the injured list, after all, and it feels like a small miracle that he’s not there now. He was ready for Opening Day despite undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia just weeks before spring training.
When Seager is playing, however, there arguably isn’t anyone else you’d rather have at shortstop.
The defense is good enough in a vacuum, and more than good enough in context of what he does at the plate. He’s a .326 hitter with 43 doubles and 34 homers since the start of last year, and he should have raked a lot more than he did in his Rangers debut in 2022.
Seager is also high in the running among hitters you’d want up in a clutch spot in the playoffs. The big feather in his cap is that he’s the only hitter ever to post a 1.000 OPS and six home runs in two separate postseasons.
4. RF Juan Soto, New York Yankees12 of 15
Juan SotoMary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Age: 25
Salary (Rank): $31.0 million (16th)
2024 Stats: 13 G, 62 PA, 2 HR, 1 SB, .360 AVG, .468 OBP, .540 SLG
One of the more interesting developments early in 2024 is that Juan Soto is…apparently a really good defender now?
This was certainly the case in the Yankees’ opening sweep of the Houston Astros, in which Soto’s arm and glove were at the center of two separate wins. And don’t look now, but he’s already in the black for Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average.
As for the bat, well, does anyone need to be sold on the bat at this point?
MLB @MLBJuan Soto slams his first homer in the Bronx as a Yankee! pic.twitter.com/tLTGyJaHZV
Soto is trying to go 7-for-7 in seasons with an on-base percentage north of .400, which would be a first for MLB history for a player through his age-25 season. There otherwise isn’t much doubt that Yankee Stadium will help him collect his third season of 30-plus home runs.
At least until he starts wearing himself out, it’s otherwise admirable that Soto posts. Since making his debut on May 20, 2018, he’s played in 95 percent of all possible games.
3. CF Aaron Judge, New York Yankees13 of 15
Aaron JudgeMary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Age: 31
Salary (Rank): $40.0 million (T-4th)
2024 Stats: 13 G, 60 PA, 2 HR, 0 SB, .178 AVG, .367 OBP, .378 SLG
Aaron Judge isn’t off to a good start, and there’s at least one good reason to worry.
At 92.8 mph, his average exit velocity is down from both last year’s peak of 97.6 mph and his career norm of 95.6 mph. It could be nothing, but one suspects whether he’s 100 percent. He’s still managing the toe injury he suffered last year, and he was otherwise held back in spring training by core discomfort.
But as excuses to doubt Judge go, this is pretty much it.
Since his big break back in 2017, he leads all hitters with 255 home runs and is also second among hitters with 41.8 rWAR. He has a .989 OPS for this span, as well as 162-game average of 50 home runs.
And while the hard contact (at least by Judge-ian standards, mind you) may not be there yet, it’s a positive that Judge is making plenty of contact in general. His 21.7 strikeout percentage is on track to be a career low.
2. DH Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers14 of 15
Shohei OhtaniKevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Age: 29
Salary (Rank): $70.0 million (1st)
2024 Stats: 15 G, 69 PA, 3 HR, 1 SB, .333 AVG, .377 OBP, .635 SLG
Before we have the “duh” conversation about what makes Shohei Ohtani so great, two things need to be noted.
For one, he’s not actually making $70 million. His salary is only $2 million. For luxury tax purposes, he’s costing the Dodgers “only” $46 million per year.
For two, the Dodgers and MLB at large can breathe a sigh of relief. Ohtani is still nominally connected to the gambling scandal swirling around his ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, but reporting from Tim Arango and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times effectively backs up Ohtani’s assertion that he was a victim of “massive theft.”
If so, the two-time AL MVP is free to focus solely on hitting. And that had already been going well, as even a semi-cool start to the season isn’t keeping Ohtani from leading MLB in hard-hit balls and, largely as a result of those, 40 total bases.
Los Angeles Dodgers @DodgersShohei homer? Right on Target. pic.twitter.com/xXwMXV83CC
Of course, Ohtani won’t pitch this year and that’s not ideal. But even sans any value on the mound, the Dodgers are still paying for one of two hitters with an OPS over .950 and north of 125 home runs since the start of 2021.
1. SS Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers15 of 15
Mookie BettsKatelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Age: 31
Salary (Rank): $30.0 million (19th)
2024 Stats: 15 G, 71 PA, 5 HR, 2 SB, .354 AVG, .507 OBP, .727 SLG
It hasn’t always been the case at any given moment, but Mookie Betts has been the best player in Major League Baseball for the last decade.
It was in 2015 that he played his first full season, and since then he leads everyone with a total of 54.2 rWAR. He’s padded that number every which way, in part because he keeps finding new ways to produce.
Since he has more home runs than all but five players since the start of 2022, we might even be underrating how good of a slugger Betts has become. And so far this year, he’s working on easily the best walk-to-strikeout ratio of his career.
His move to shortstop, meanwhile, hasn’t been without issue. Yet he’s looked no worse than playable there early on, which in and of itself is impressive. It can’t be said loudly enough that he’s taking one for the team just by being there.
All the more reason to be a fan, really. And if one did indeed have the opportunity to build a team of $25 million players, to start with him first.
