Average MLB Salary in 2022: Charting yearly increase in player earnings since 2017

After seeing the contracts dished out to Aaron Judge and Justin Verlander, it may come as no surprise that the average MLB salary continues to increase. As the game continues to expand internationally and domestically, the revenue for the MLB continues to grow as well.

Last season, Major League Baseball saw revenues of between $10.8-$10.9 billion, a record that has been confirmed by the league. As a result, players are able to demand more money in contracts, raising the average salary from $2.37 million in 2003 to $4.41 million in 2022.

"The NBA pays the highest average annual salary, followed by the IPL and MLB. Rounding off the top 10 are the big 5 European football leagues, NFL, and NHL," Genuine Impact tweeted.

While the average MLB salary heading into the new season will be $4.41 million, the numbers are a bit skewed as the top-tier players continue to sign more and more lucrative deals. These massive contracts will raise the overall average salary league-wide.

The $4.41 million is a jump from the $4.17 average salary in 2021. However, the average salary is roughly $400,000 less than in 2017. In 2017, the average annual salary ballooned to an all-time high, reaching $4.45 million.

"While the average MLB player salary was $4.17m in 2021, the MEDIAN player only made $1.15m. The median MLB player makes around $6800 per game," Phil Goyette tweeted.

As baseball continues to grow, it would only make sense for the average MLB salary to grow with it. However, the MLB and MLBPA are constantly negotiating over various aspects of the game, including revenue sharing.

Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander will make nearly 10 times the average MLB salary in 2023

The New York Mets aces will lead the MLB with the highest salary heading into the 2023 season. The starting pitchers are set to make a league-leading $43,333,333 million next season, helping push the Mets' team payroll to an estimated $355 million. This absurd payroll will set an MLB record for the most expensive payroll in the history of the sport.

"Crazy how this was just a year ago. Scherzer received biggest AAV of any in MLB history with an average yearly salary of $43.3 million," Full Count Baseball tweeted.

Aaron Judge's new contract will pay him $40 million per season, joining Scherzer and Verlander as the players making roughly 10 times the league average.