Editor's note: This is a guest post from Saleem Mumtaz, sports blogger for celebritesmoney.com, a website about sports celebrity salaries.
In major league baseball, the $20 million dollar annual salary is not as much of a significant benchmark as it once was. Back in 2009 (according to USA Today), only four MLB players had an annual salary of $20 million or more (Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira), and they all played for two teams (the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers). However, just last season (according to Forbes) 22 players from 11 different teams earned at least $20 million per year, and that doesn't include endorsement deals.
With that in mind, here are the highest paid MLB players for 2015 according to contract, not including endorsement deals:
In conclusion: Some experts believe that success in baseball is all about numbers, while some believe it’s all about talent. We tend to belong to the second school of thought, and we believe if you have a talent to play any sport - whether it's baseball, basketball, football, or any pro sport - you’ll get your money. And we all know that at the highest level of professional sports, this money comes in the form of very large paychecks.
Fans, what do think about this list?
In major league baseball, the $20 million dollar annual salary is not as much of a significant benchmark as it once was. Back in 2009 (according to USA Today), only four MLB players had an annual salary of $20 million or more (Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira), and they all played for two teams (the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers). However, just last season (according to Forbes) 22 players from 11 different teams earned at least $20 million per year, and that doesn't include endorsement deals.
With that in mind, here are the highest paid MLB players for 2015 according to contract, not including endorsement deals:
- Clayton Kershaw - The Los Angeles Dodgers right hander signed a 7-year contract worth $215 million. According to celebritiesmoney.com, Clayton Kershaw will earn a $30 million salary in 2015. That's a huge bump from last year when his salary was only $4,000,000. Kershaw's current market value is $114,000,000.
- Justin Verlander -The 32-year-old starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers is working under a 7-year contract worth $180 million (according to Yahoo! Sports). In 2015, his salary rises from $20 million to $28 million. Verlander currently has a market value of $124 million.
- Josh Hamilton - The slugger for the Los Angeles Angels is playing under a 5-year, $125 million contract. In 2015, Hamilton will earn a salary of $23 million, an increase of $8 million from last season. Hamilton will earn a $30 million salary for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
- Ryan Howard - The Philadelphia Phillies first baseman may have dipped a bit last season, but he will still be earning $25,000,000 guaranteed for 2015.
- Cliff Lee - The 36-year-old starter for the Philadelphia Phillies has had some major struggles with injuries over the last two seasons, but will still be earning a guaranteed $25 million for 2015.
- Felix Hernandez - “King Félix”, who has been playing for the Seattle Mariners since 2005, has cashed in with a 7-year deal worth $175 million, including a $7 million bonus. According to his contract, his 2015 earnings include a salary of $24,000,000 salary along with a signing bonus of $857,142. Hernandez has earned his money with a won-loss record of 125–92, plus 1,951 strikeouts and a career ERA of 3.07.
In conclusion: Some experts believe that success in baseball is all about numbers, while some believe it’s all about talent. We tend to belong to the second school of thought, and we believe if you have a talent to play any sport - whether it's baseball, basketball, football, or any pro sport - you’ll get your money. And we all know that at the highest level of professional sports, this money comes in the form of very large paychecks.
Fans, what do think about this list?
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
