Athletes

The 25 Highest-Paid MLB Pitchers

Shohei Ohtani takes the top spot after landing the second-largest contract in MLB history.
Seven of the highest-paid pitchers play for either the Yankees or the Dodgers.

Apr 14, 2024 | 01:30 pm

UPDATED Apr 10, 2025 | 04:33 pm

Mar 13, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani signs autographs against the Seattle Mariners during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

In the second-largest deal in MLB history, Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in 2023. This deal not only made Ohtani the highest-paid pitcher in the league but also the highest-paid player overall until Juan Soto took that crown.

Following Ohtani is Zack Wheeler of the Phillies, who earns $42 million. Third is Jacob deGrom. In 2022, deGrom signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers, including a 2028 club option that can increase the maximum value of the deal to $222 million.

Coming in fourth is the newest addition to the Dodgers’ bullpen, Blake Snell.

He signed a deal with Los Angeles last Thanksgiving for $36.4 million annually. The five-year, $182 million contract includes $65 million deferred or $13 million annually in deferred money.

Wrapping up the top five is Gerrit Cole of the Yankees, earning $36 million.

Cole signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with New York in 2019. After their World Series loss to the Dodgers, he decided to keep his pinstripes instead of opting out.

Top 25 Highest-Paid Pitchers

Here is the full list of the 25 highest-paid MLB pitchers by average salary. The list was compiled using data from Spotrac.

Updated: April 10th, 2025

Rank	Player	Team	Compensation
1	Shohei Ohtani	Los Angeles Dodgers	$70 million
2	Zack Wheeler	Philadelphia Phillies	$42 million
3	Jacob deGrom	Texas Rangers	$37 million
4	Blake Snell	Los Angeles Dodgers	$36.4 million
5	Gerrit Cole	New York Yankees	$36 million
6	Corbin Burnes	Arizona Diamondbacks	$35 million
7	Tyler Glasnow	Los Angeles Dodgers	$27.31 million
8	Max Fried	New York Yankees	$27.3 million
9	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	Los Angeles Dodgers	$27.08 million
10	Carlos Rodon	New York Yankees	$27 million
T-11	Jordan Montgomery	Arizona Diamondbacks	$25 million
T-11	Sonny Gray	St. Louis Cardinals	$25 million
T-11	Nathan Eovaldi	Texas Rangers	$25 million
T-11	Sean Manaea	New York Mets	$25 million
15	Aaron Nola	Philadelphia Phillies	$24.57 million
16	Robbie Ray	San Francisco Giants	$23 million
17	Luis Severino	Oakland Athletics	$22.3 million
18	Kevin Gausman	Toronto Blue Jays	$22 million
19	Luis Castillo	Seattle Mariners	$21.6 million
20	Yusei Kikuchi	Los Angeles Angels	$21.2 million
T-21	Nick Martinez	Cincinnati Reds	$21.05 million
T-21	Walker Buehler	Boston Red Sox	$21.05 million
23	Chris Bassitt	Toronto Blue Jays	$21 million
24	Edwin Diaz	New York Mets	$20.4 million
T-25	Eduardo Rodriguez	Arizona Diamondbacks	$20 million
T-25	Joe Musgrove	San Diego Padres	$20 million