Highest Paid Players in MLB 2024
The highest paid players in MLB (Major League Baseball) will have high salaries in the 2024 MLB season.
We highlights the top 20 most expensive players in Major League Baseball for the upcoming campaign by both total salary and team payroll impact.
Remember when Major League Baseball’s owners locked out the players? It feels like an eternity ago. Since those 99 infernal days of pastime purgatory, teams have spent more than $1 billion on free agent deals and contract extensions.
In fact, if you assumed that the most expensive player in the league for the upcoming season was, say, Bryce Harper or Manny Machado or Gerrit Cole, you’d be wrong. That’s how much new money has been flowing during this impeccably reheated Hot Stove period.
With that in mind, check out the list of the highest-paid MLB players for the 2024 season.
20. Cubs SP Marcus Stroman: $25,000,000
- Contract: 3 years, $71,000,000
- Average annual value: $23,666,667
Marcus Earl Stroman is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. Stroman is listed at 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), making him one of only six pitchers shorter than 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) to make a start at the MLB level in the 21st century.
Stroman attended Duke University, and played college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils. He made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2014. In 2017, he was the World Baseball Classic MVP. After the regular season, he won a 2017 Gold Glove Award. Stroman was named an All-Star in 2019, and the Blue Jays traded him to the Mets later in the 2019 season.
After the 2020 season, the Mets extended a qualifying offer to Stroman worth $18.9 million for the 2021 season. Stroman accepted the qualifying offer on November 11.
In 2021, Stroman led the Mets’ starting rotation with 10 wins, 158 strikeouts and 179 innings pitched.
On December 1, 2021, Stroman signed a three-year contract worth $71 million to play for the Chicago Cubs. He is the first ever Cub to wear the number 0 on a Cubs jersey.
19. Reds 1B Joey Votto: $25,000,000
- Contract: 10 years, $225,000,000
- Average annual value: $22,500,000
Joseph Daniel Votto is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2007. He is the first Canadian MLB player since Larry Walker to hit 300 home runs and have 1,000 career runs batted in (RBIs). Votto is also the second Canadian to have 2,000 hits.
Votto is a six-time MLB All-Star, a seven-time Tip O’Neill Award winner, and two-time Lou Marsh Trophy winner as Canada’s athlete of the year. In 2010, he won the National League (NL) MVP Award and the NL Hank Aaron Award. Among all active players at the end of the 2018 season, he was first in career on-base percentage (.427), second in OPS (.957) and walks (1,104), and fourth in batting average (.311).
Votto lives in Mount Adams, Cincinnati, during the season, and in Hermosa Beach, California, during the offseason. He has three brothers: Tyler, and twin brothers named Ryan and Paul. Votto had a mastiff-golden retriever mix named “Maris,” who was named after former baseball player Roger Maris; the dog died in 2020. Votto is represented by sports agent Dan Lozano.
Votto finished the 2021 season hitting .266 with 36 home runs and 99 RBI. In 2021, he posted the lowest percentage of softly hit balls among all major leaguers, at 8.0%.
18. Rangers 2B Marcus Semien: $25,000,000
- Contract: 7 years, $175,000,000
- Average annual value: $25,000,000
Marcus Andrew Semien is an American professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.
On January 30, 2021, Semien signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 1, Semien was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and was named to be the starting second baseman for the AL in the 2021 All-Star Game. On September 29, Semien hit his 44th home run of the 2021 season, breaking Davey Johnson’s MLB record for the most home runs in a season by a player who played 75% or more of his games at second base.
Semien finished the 2021 season hitting .265/.334/.538 with 45 home runs, 102 RBIs and an MLB-leading 86 extra-base hits. He finished third in American League MVP voting, behind only Shohei Ohtani and teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
On December 1, 2021, Semien agreed to a seven-year, $175 million contract with the Texas Rangers.
17. Astros SP Justin Verlander: $25,000,000
- Contract: 2 years, $50,000,000
- Average annual value: $25,000,000
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers. From Manakin-Sabot in Virginia, Verlander attended Old Dominion University (ODU) and played college baseball for the Monarchs.
He broke the Monarchs’ and Colonial Athletic Association’s career records for strikeouts. At the 2003 Pan American Games, Verlander helped lead the United States national team to a silver medal.
In 2016, Verlander started the “Wins For Warriors Foundation” for veterans of the United States Military. The “Wins For Warriors Foundation” campaign raised $246,311 to help Houston recover from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. To date, Verlander has donated over 1 million dollars to this cause. Verlander has also supported various local Detroit charities for the impoverished as well as helping out with national efforts such as the Red Cross.
For his work with military veterans, Verlander was honored as one of the inaugural recipients of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award in 2013.
16. Phillies SP Zack Wheeler: $26,000,000
- Contract: 5 years, $118,000,000
- Average annual value: $23,600,000
Zachary Harrison Wheeler is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2013 and 2019, he played in MLB for the New York Mets.
Wheeler was born to a baseball-playing family in Smyrna, Georgia, but moved to Dallas, Georgia, shortly before the start of high school. There, he pitched for East Paulding High School, leading the team to a state playoff appearance in 2009 and pitching a no-hitter against Mill Creek High School. The San Francisco Giants selected Wheeler sixth overall in the 2009 MLB Draft, and he elected to sign with the team rather than honoring his previous college baseball commitment for Kennesaw State. Wheeler played for the Giants’ minor league teams in 2010 and 2011 before he was traded to the Mets in July 2011.
Following a 2017 season that was limited by injury, Wheeler returned to form with the Mets in 2018, setting a career high number of strikeouts and innings pitched. He became a free agent at the end of the 2019 season, and signed a five-year deal with the Phillies in December 2019. Wheeler missed part of the shortened 2020 season with a fingernail injury, but impressed at the start of 2021, becoming the third pitcher in franchise history to strike out 10 or more batters in three consecutive starts.
16. Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt: $26,000,000
- Contract: 5 years, $130,000,000
- Average annual value: $26,000,000
Paul Edward Goldschmidt nicknamed “Goldy“, is an American professional baseball first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Lightly recruited out of The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, Goldschmidt played for the Texas State Bobcats, and was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth round of the 2009 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with them in 2011, and they traded him to the Cardinals during the 2018–19 offseason.
Goldschmidt is a six-time MLB All-Star. He led the National League (NL) in home runs and runs batted in during the 2013 season. He has won the NL Hank Aaron Award, Gold Glove Award, and Silver Slugger Award. Goldschmidt has twice finished runner-up for the NL Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award, in 2013 and 2015.
15. Astros 2B Jose Altuve: $26,000,000
- Contract: 7 years, $163,500,000
- Average annual value: $23,357,143
José Carlos Altuve is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Astros signed Altuve as an amateur free agent in 2007, and he made his major league debut in 2011. A right-handed batter and thrower, as of 2017 he was the shortest active MLB player, at 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m). His listed weight is 165 pounds (75 kg). From 2014 to 2017, Altuve recorded at least 200 hits each season and led the American League (AL) in the category. He won three batting championships in that span.
In 2014, he became the first player in over 80 years to reach 130 hits and 40 stolen bases before the All-Star Game. That same season, he became the first Astro to win a batting title, leading the AL with a .341 average. He has twice led the AL in stolen bases. From Maracay, Venezuela, Altuve played for the Venezuelan national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC). He holds the record for postseason home runs among second basemen and infielders with 23, which is second all-time in postseason history while being the fastest to do so in games played. He had 31 games with four hits from 2011 to 2021, the most among any player in that span in MLB.
As part of an era that has seen the Astros win a world championship and three pennants in five seasons, Altuve is widely regarded as one of the greatest Astros in franchise history, and one of the best second basemen in baseball.
14. Phillies OF Bryce Harper: $26,000,000
- Contract: 13 years, $330,000,000
- Average annual value: $25,384,615
Bryce Aron Max Harper is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Washington Nationals from 2012 through 2018. He has been touted as a “five-tool player”.
Harper graduated from high school early so that he could attend the College of Southern Nevada, where he won the 2010 Golden Spikes Award. The Nationals selected Harper as the first overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals on April 28, 2012, at 19 years old. Harper was selected for the 2012 All-Star Game, becoming the youngest position player to perform in an All-Star Game.
Harper won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award in 2012 and tied for the NL lead in home runs in 2015. He was named the NL Most Valuable Player for 2015 by unanimous decision of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America; at age 23, he became the youngest MLB baseball player to win the award.
As a free agent during the 2018–19 offseason, he signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies, the richest contract in the history of North American sports at the time until being eclipsed shortly after by Mike Trout. He won his second NL MVP award in 2021 with the Phillies.
13. Mets SS Francisco Lindor: $27,000,000
- Contract: 10 years, $341,000,000
- Average annual value: $34,100,000
Francisco Miguel Lindor nicknamed “Paquito” and “Mr. Smile”, is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Cleveland Indians. A right-handed thrower and switch hitter, Lindor stands 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and weighs 190 pounds (86 kg).
Lindor batted over .300 in both his first two major league seasons and provided elite defense. In 2016, he earned his first All-Star selection and Gold Glove Award, becoming the first Puerto Rican shortstop to win the Gold Glove Award. He won his first Silver Slugger Award in 2017. He placed second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and was a selection to the 2017 All-WBC Team.
Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Lindor began playing baseball at an early age, and he moved with his family to Florida when he was 12. He became the Indians’ first round selection, and eighth overall, in the 2011 MLB draft. In the minor leagues, he participated in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game, and by 2013, was rated by Baseball America as the Indians’ top overall prospect.
On January 7, 2021, the Indians traded Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets for Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez, Josh Wolf, and Isaiah Greene.
12. Angels OF Justin Upton: $28,000,000
- Contract: 5 years, $106,000,000
- Average annual value: $21,200,000
Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed “J-Up”, he previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2007 to 2012, Atlanta Braves in 2013 and 2014, San Diego Padres in 2015, and the Detroit Tigers in 2016 and 2017.
He has been a teammate of his brother B.J. Upton with both the Braves and the Padres. While primarily a right fielder throughout his career, Upton has since transitioned to left field for the Braves, Padres and Tigers.
Upton was selected first overall by the Diamondbacks in the 2005 MLB draft out of high school and made his MLB debut with them in 2007. He has been selected to four All-Star teams and has won three Silver Slugger Awards. Justin and B.J. are the only brothers in Major League Baseball to ever be selected in the number 1 and 2 slots of the first round of any draft (in separate years).
On August 31, 2017, the Tigers traded Upton and cash to the Los Angeles Angels for Grayson Long and a player to be named later or cash. On September 15, the trade was completed with the Tigers acquiring Angels pitching prospect Elvin Rodriguez as the PTBNL.
Upton finished 2017 with a .273 batting average and .361 on-base percentage, while setting career highs with 44 doubles, 35 home runs, 109 RBI, and a .901 OPS. He also scored 100 runs for the third time in his career.
11. Blue Jays OF George Springer: $28,000,000
- Contract: 6 years, $150,000,000
- Average annual value: $25,000,000
George Chelston Springer III is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Houston Astros from 2014 to 2020.
The Astros selected Springer in the first round (11th overall) of the 2011 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014, for the Astros. Springer has played primarily in right field and also spent significant time in center field. A native of New Britain, Connecticut, Springer is of Puerto Rican and Panamanian descent.
Springer played college baseball at the University of Connecticut, where he was named Big East Conference Baseball Player of the Year and a First Team All-American. In 2017, Springer became an MLB All-Star, Silver Slugger Award winner, and World Series champion. He was also named the 2017 World Series Most Valuable Player (MVP), hitting a record-tying five home runs (Reggie Jackson and Chase Utley accomplished the feat in 1977 and 2009, respectively), as the Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. He was again an All-Star in both 2018 and 2019.
Highest Paid Players in MLB 2024
10. Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado: $29,429,500
- Contract: 8 years, $260,000,000
- Average annual value: $32,500,000
A native of Newport Beach, California, Arenado attended El Toro High School in Lake Forest before becoming the Rockies’ second-round selection in the 2009 MLB draft. A six-time MLB All-Star, his defensive accolades (in addition to his nine Gold Gloves) include four total (and three consecutive) Fielding Bible Awards and three consecutive Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Awards, as well as five consecutive Rawlings Platinum Gloves.
Offensively, he is a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and has twice led the league in both home runs and runs batted in (RBI), and currently leads all major leaguers in RBIs since the start of the 2015 season.
During his minor league career, Arenado was a two-time All-Star Futures Game selection, and led the minor leagues in RBI in 2011 with 155 over 163 total games. In 2016, Arenado became the youngest player in Rockies franchise history to reach 100 home runs.
He played for the United States national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC), winning Team USA’s first gold medal in a WBC tournament. He hit for the cycle on June 18, 2017, and became the sixth player in history to finish off such a performance with a walk-off home run. In 2017, he became the 11th major leaguer and first third baseman in history to drive in 130 or more runs in three successive seasons.
9. Padres 3B Manny Machado: $30,000,000
- Contract: 10 years, $300,000,000
- Average annual value: $30,000,000
Manuel Arturo Machado is a Dominican-American professional baseball third baseman and shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Very highly recruited from an early age, he was raised in Miami, where he attended Brito High School and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the third overall pick in the 2010 MLB draft. He bats and throws right-handed.
Machado made his MLB debut in August 2012. Machado had his breakout year in 2013, earning a spot on the American League (AL) All-Star team on his way to leading the league in doubles with 51. He was also recognized as one of the best fielders in the game, winning a Gold Glove Award. Machado won his second Gold Glove in 2015, and made the All-Star Game in 2015, 2016, and 2018. His defensive prowess has earned him frequent comparisons to former Orioles third baseman and Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.
In 2018, an impending free agent, Machado was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers and helped the team reach the World Series. That offseason, Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres, the richest contract in the history of North American sports at the time.
8. Dodgers SP Trevor Bauer: $32,000,000
- Contract: 3 years, $102,000,000
- Average annual value: $34,000,000
Bauer had a childhood fascination with pitching, often practicing alone outside of his private lessons. After three seasons with William S. Hart High School, culminating in a junior year in which he posted a 0.79 earned run average (ERA), Bauer chose to graduate a year early and enroll at the University of California, Los Angeles.
He and fellow ace Gerrit Cole helped take UCLA to a 22-game winning streak and a College World Series appearance as sophomores in 2010, and the following year, Bauer won both the Golden Spikes Award and the National Pitcher of the Year Award. The Diamondbacks selected him third overall at the 2011 MLB Draft, and he made his major league debut the following June, the first member of his draft class to reach the majors.
After one season with Arizona, during which he clashed with his teammates, Bauer was part of a trade to Cleveland. He spent the first two seasons there retooling his pitching approach, repairing poor mechanics that he had picked up after a 2012 injury. By 2016, he had emerged as a regular force in the Indians’ starting rotation, but shortly after his first MLB All-Star Game appearance in 2018, Bauer’s career trajectory was interrupted by a stress fracture that kept him out of the rotation until the end of the season. Bauer struggled during the 2019 season, both with Cleveland and with Cincinnati, but he followed this effort with his first Cy Young Award during the 60-game 2020 MLB season.
A free agent after the 2020 season, Bauer signed a three-year contract with the Dodgers in February 2021. He led the league in both strikeouts and innings pitched through July 2 but spent the rest of the season on administrative leave imposed by MLB as they investigated sexual assault allegations made against him.
7. Tigers OF Miguel Cabrera: $32,000,000
- Contract: 8 years, $248,000,000
- Average annual value: $31,000,000
Since his debut in 2003 he has been a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner, a four-time AL batting champion, and an 11-time MLB All-Star. He has played at first and third base for most of his major league career, but primarily played left and right field before 2006. He claimed the 17th MLB Triple Crown in 2012, the first to do so in 45 seasons.
In the Venezuelan Winter League (Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Venezuela), Cabrera was signed by Tigres de Aragua at 16 years old. He recorded his first hit in LVBP in December 1999.
Cabrera was signed in 1999 as an amateur free agent by the Florida Marlins, and progressed through their minor league system. He made his MLB debut in mid-2003 at the age of 20, and contributed to the Marlins’ World Series success later that year. Over the next four seasons, Cabrera was a regular player for the Marlins before being traded to the Detroit Tigers in late 2007. In 2012, Cabrera became the first player since 1967 to win the batting Triple Crown, leading the AL with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs, and 139 runs batted in (RBI), earning him the AL MVP award that year. In 2013, Cabrera improved on his previous year’s batting performance, including a career-high .348 batting average, and received another AL MVP award.
Cabrera has won four AL batting titles, including three in consecutive years (2011–2013), and has batted over .300 in 11 different seasons. He has hit 30 or more home runs in ten separate seasons, and driven in over 100 runs in 12 separate seasons (including 11 consecutive seasons, 2004–2014). Through 2021, he ranks 18th all-time in career total bases (5,124). In 2021, Cabrera became the all-time leader in career hits by a Venezuelan player, surpassing Omar Vizquel. On August 22, 2021, Cabrera became the 28th member of major league baseball’s 500 home run club.
6. Twins SS Carlos Correa: $35,100,000
- Contract: 3 years, $105,300,000
- Average annual value: $35,100,000
Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Houston Astros. The Astros selected Correa with the first overall selection of the 2012 MLB draft.
Correa made his MLB debut with the Astros in 2015, and won the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award. In 2017, Correa appeared in the World Baseball Classic, won the AL Player of the Month Award for May, was named an MLB All-Star, and won the World Series. In 2021, he was named to his second All-Star Game and won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove Awards. After seven seasons with Houston, he entered free agency and signed a three-year deal with the Twins.
5. Angels OF Mike Trout: $35,450,000
- Contract: 12 years, $426,500,000
- Average annual value: $35,541,667
Michael Nelson Trout is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Trout is a nine-time MLB All-Star, three-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (winning the award in 2014, 2016, and 2019, while finishing second in the 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018 votes), and is an eight-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award.
The Angels selected Trout in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft. He made a brief major league appearance in 2011 before becoming a regular player for the Angels the subsequent season, and won the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously.
Trout’s athleticism on the field has received praise from both the mainstream media and sabermetricians. He is regarded as one of the most outstanding young players in the history of baseball, as well as one of the best current players in all of MLB. Trout led the American League in wins above replacement (WAR) in each of his first five full seasons (according to Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference.com).
Trout has led the American League in runs (2012–14, 2016) and times on base (2013, 2015–16, 2018) four times. As of February 2021, he leads all active major league ballplayers in career slugging percentage (.582) and on base plus slugging (1.000), and was second in career on base percentage (.418) and stolen base percentage (84.45%). In 2019, he signed a 12-year, $426 million contract with the Angels, the second-richest contract in the history of North American sports and third in professional sports in general (and the second-biggest contract at the time of signing).
4. Yankees SP Gerrit Cole: $36,000,000
- Contract: 9 years, $324,000,000
- Average annual value: $36,000,000
Gerrit Alan Cole is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros.
Cole played for the baseball team at Orange Lutheran High School, and was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Cole opted not to sign, and instead attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.
After his college baseball career, the Pirates made Cole the first overall selection in the 2011 MLB draft. Cole made his MLB debut in 2013, and was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Month in September 2013. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for April 2015, and an MLB All-Star in 2015. The Pirates traded Cole to the Astros in the 2017–18 offseason. On September 18, 2019, Cole became the 18th pitcher in major league history to strike out at least 300 batters in a season. On December 16, 2019, Cole signed a $324 million contract with the Yankees, the largest contract in major league history for a pitcher.
3. Angels 3B Anthony Rendon: $36,000,000
- Contract: 7 years, $245,000,000
- Average annual value: $35,000,000
Anthony Michael Rendon is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals’ 2019 World Series champion team over his hometown Houston Astros.
Rendon played college baseball for the Rice University Owls, where he won the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy. Rendon was selected sixth overall in the 2011 MLB draft by the Nationals. Rendon made his MLB debut in 2013. He is an All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
2. Rangers SS Corey Seager: $37,500,000
- Contract: 10 years, $325,000,000
- Average annual value: $32,500,000
Corey Drew Seager nicknamed “Seags”, is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Seager was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, and he made his major league debut in 2015. He was the 2016 National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and was an MLB All-Star in his first two seasons in the majors. He was named the NL Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the World Series MVP while leading the Dodgers to the 2020 World Series title over the Tampa Bay Rays. After seven years with the Dodgers, he entered free agency and signed a ten-year deal with the Rangers.
1. Mets SP Max Scherzer: $43,333,333
- Contract: 3 years, $130,000,000
- Average annual value: $43,333,333
Maxwell Martin Scherzer is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers.
A right-handed starting pitcher, Scherzer is an eight-time MLB All-Star, has won three Cy Young Awards, has pitched two no-hitters, and won the World Series with the Nationals in 2019. Known for his intensity and competitiveness during play, he is nicknamed “Mad Max” after the fictional character of the same name.
The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Scherzer with the 11th overall pick of the 2006 amateur draft. He made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks in 2008. In December 2009, Scherzer was traded to the Detroit Tigers. During his five-year tenure in Detroit, Scherzer made the American League All-Star Team twice and won the 2013 American League Cy Young Award. Scherzer also helped the Tigers win four consecutive American League Central titles from 2011 to 2014.
Scherzer is the fifth pitcher to start an All-Star Game for both the American and National Leagues. He is a four-time wins leader and a winner of three strikeout titles. One of the most consistent hurlers of his era, he made at least 30 starts each season from 2009 to 2018 and struck out at least 230 batters in each season from 2012 to 2019.
In 2017, he became the third-fastest hurler to record 2,000 career strikeouts and the fourth to strike out 250 or more in four consecutive seasons. Scherzer recorded more wins (161) and strikeouts (2,452) than any pitcher in the 2010s. He logged his 3,000th strikeout on September 12, 2021. He currently holds the record for the highest average annual value baseball contract ever, earning over $43 million per season
Highest Paid Players in MLB 2024 – Newshub360.net
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