Although not typically the highest-paid infielders, first basemen can earn lucrative contracts, typically based on offensive production and power hitting.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads all first basemen with his $28.5 million AAV. The Blue Jays’ marquee player signed a 14-year, $500 million extension to remain at the club he’s played for his entire career.
It’s the third-largest contract in total value to Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani.
Two Perennial all-star selections are tied for second. Freddie Freeman and Pete Alonso rake in $27 million annually. Freeman signed a six-year deal with the Dodgers worth $162 million in 2022. He’s coming off a World Series win with Los Angeles, capped by an MVP performance.
Pete Alonso signed a two-year extension with the Mets in February. The deal includes a player option in 2026 and bonus incentives that could catapult his earnings.
Fourth on the list is Bryce Harper, who makes $25.4 million in AAV with the Phillies. The 2012 NL Rookie of the Year and four-time Silver Slugger signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with Philadelphia in 2019.
Making $21 million in AAV, Matt Olson of the Braves comes in fifth. Olson played seven years with the A’s before a trade in 2022 sent him to Atlanta.
The top five first basemen on the list earn a combined $128.9 million annually. And the top two combined still earn $14.5 million less than Shohei Ohtani in average annual value.
Ranking The Highest-Paid First Basemen in MLB
Here is the entire list of the highest-paid MLB first basemen of 2025, sorted by AAV. The list was compiled with data from Spotrac and Baseball-Reference.
- Updated: April 10th, 2025
| Rank | Player | Team | Compensation |
| 1 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays | $28.5 million |
| T-2 | Freddie Freeman | Los Angeles Dodgers | $27 million |
| T-2 | Pete Alonso | New York Mets | $27 million |
| 4 | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | $25.4 million |
| 5 | Matt Olson | Atlanta Braves | $21 million |
| 6 | Christian Walker | Houston Astros | $20 million |
| 7 | Wilson Contreras | St. Louis Cardinals | $17.5 million |
| 8 | Rhy Hoskins | Milwaukee Brewers | $17 million |
| 9 | Luis Arraez | San Diego Padres | $14 million |
| 10 | Paul Goldschmidt | New York Yankees | $12.5 million |
| 11 | Carlos Santana | Cleveland Guardians | $12 million |
| 12 | Josh Naylor | Arizona Diamondbacks | $10.9 million |
| 13 | Nate Lowe | Washington Nationals | $10.3 million |
| 14 | Yandy Diaz | Tampa Bay Rays | $8 million |
| 15 | Ryan Mountcastle | Baltimore Orioles | $6.8 million |
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