The Big Lead

Surprising Dodgers pitcher tops Yankees' Aaron Judge for third among MLB's highest-paid players: report

By J.P. Hoornstra

Mar 20, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) runs back to the dugout at the end of the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.
Mar 20, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) runs back to the dugout at the end of the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
facebooktwitter

Aaron Judge's $40 million salary from the New York Yankees puts the reigning American League MVP among baseball's highest earners every year. Throw in his reported $7 million endorsement portfolio, and it's no surprise to see Judge was fourth on the list of baseball's highest-paid players for 2025, according to Sportico.

The only surprise? The name just above him on the list: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell.

Snell signed a five-year, $182 million contract with Los Angeles in Dec. 2024. He agreed to defer $26 million out of his annual paycheck, lowering the present-day value of his contract to $150.3 million, according to the MLB Players' Association.

But Snell also agreed to a $52 million signing bonus, to be paid in January. That allowed him to sneak into the number-3 position on Sportico's list, just ahead of Judge, with an estimated $65.6 million in earnings this year to Judge's $47 million.

The Yankee captain's endorsement portfolio is diverse, according to Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen:

"The Yankees captain has ramped up his off-field game over the past two years, signing with Nike’s Jordan Brand in 2023, and then as the face of Ralph Lauren’s new fragrance “Polo Est. 67” and with Prime Hydration last year. In August, the slugger hit his 300th career home run in his 955th game, making him the fastest player in MLB history to reach that threshold. "

- Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico

Judge, 32, hit an MLB-leading 58 home runs and drove in 144 runs while serving as the Yankees' primary center fielder in 2024. He also led MLB in on-base percentage (.458), slugging percentage (.701) while amassing 10.8 bWAR in 158 games.

Thanks in part to the offensive heroics of Judge and Juan Soto, the Yankees reached the World Series last year for the first time since 2009. They lost in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Judge's nine-year, $360 million contract with New York runs through 2031. He'll make $40 million each year for the life of the deal.

At the time he signed (Dec. 2022), it was the largest free agent contract in baseball history and the highest average annual value ever for a position player.

MORE TOP STORIES from The Big Lead
MLB: GM says 'there's going to be some issues' sharing a Triple-A field with rivals
SPORTS MEDIA: Chicago radio personality engages troll on social media, gets fired
SPORTS MEDIA: Longtime baseball play-by-play voice, ESPN alum, announces retirement
MLB: Minor league team removes female anatomy-conjuring logo from website
MLB/SPORTS MEDIA: Ron Howard explains how Vin Scully inspired him

Home/MLB