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MLB: The 20 biggest contracts in professional sports

By Kristen Bentley

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers and Albert Pujols #5 and Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim talk in centerfield prior to the start of the game at Comerica Park on April 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Angels 5-2. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers and Albert Pujols #5 and Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim talk in centerfield prior to the start of the game at Comerica Park on April 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Angels 5-2. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

While the MLB brass act as if the sport is falling apart, the sports contracts given to MLB players proves that baseball isn’t struggling at all.

In fact, when looking at the largest sports contracts today, baseball players have more of them than any other sport. And, it is clear that baseball is making more money than ever before.

Interestingly, a handful of the biggest contracts in MLB history and in sports history were all signed during the 2019 calendar year.

There are several reasons why MLB has the richest players. The first is that the league does not have a cap on salaries. All of the other major sports in the United States have salary caps. For 2019, the NFL has a cap of $188.2 million. The NFL approves or denies deals so no team can go over the salary cap, therefore, there is not a penalty for exceeding it. The highest paid NFL player is Andrew Luck, who will make $139 million after his six-year contract is over in 2021.

The NBA also has a salary cap, which is $109 million in 2019. Teams can go over the cap, but they pay a luxury tax. The NHL has a salary cap, too. In 2019, NHL teams have to stay at or below $83 million. It’s safe to say that no hockey player will have a salary anywhere close to those paid to baseball players.

Another reason MLB players have the highest salaries is the guaranteed money. In some sports, money is tied only to winnings. Boxing has always been a lucrative sport. Floyd Mayweather, Jr is reportedly worth somewhere between $800 million and $1 billion. Auto racing is also lucrative if you can get into the big races. In 2011, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made $28 million. Their annual salaries come from prize winnings and sponsorships, so the money is not guaranteed from year to year.

In MLB, the cap does not exist, but there is a luxury tax. Teams in smaller markets, like Cleveland and Milwaukee, work hard to stay below the luxury tax. But, big teams with immense amounts of revenue can afford to exceed the luxury tax limit. And, teams have figured out how to keep their players at lower salaries for longer periods of times by manipulating the language in the current contract.

Let’s take a look at these massive contracts.

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