Trout to Kiermaier: The richest signing of all 30 MLB teams
By Bill Felber
The Chicago White Sox just made Andrew Benintendi the richest player in franchise history. The South Siders signed Benintendi to a $75 million deal covering five seasons.
That got a lot of tongues wagging, and not about the amount or the fact that Benintendi was the target. The cause for the wagging: You mean the White Sox have never paid a player more than $75 million?
These days, when each week brings news of another MLB player signing up for well into nine figures, the idea that a franchise might never have paid out more than a mere $75 million for talent feels unlikely. That’s especially so considering that the White Sox play in a large market, and have been relatively successful.
They reached postseason play in both 2020 and 2021 before falling to an even .500 in 2022.
The fact is the White Sox are only one of five teams that have never signed a $100 million player. More strikingly, two of those five teams have played in the World Series within the past decade.
Who says you have to write the richest contracts to succeed?
Of course while money has been a deal in baseball for decades, it has become increasingly so in recent years. Of the 30 players who qualify as richest in the history of each franchise, 17 will take the field for that same franchise in 2023.
Five others were traded away when the signing franchise realized it could not afford its own richest player.
A look at the richest signing in every MLB team’s history
Make no mistake, money is flowing fast. Remember the famous Babe Ruth line? When quizzed about his $80,000 salary in 1930 being more than President Hoover, Ruth responded, “I had a better year than he did.” Adjusted for inflation, the $80,000 Ruth made in 1930 would amount to just $1.27 million today.
That’s about half what Tony Kemp is expected to make splitting time at second base for baseball’s cheapest team, the Oakland A’s.
From most to least expensive, here’s a look at each team’s richest signing in history. Although the list is ordered based on the raw dollar value of the deal, we’ve also noted each team’s largest average annual value, which is not always the same player.