The Highest-Paid MLB Players for the 2023 Season

Opening Day of the 2023 Major League Baseball season arrived on Thursday, and this early spring landmark is beloved both for its pageantry and the optimism it represents for every team and fanbase.

For players, though, one other reason is meaningful: That sweet, sweet direct deposit starts hitting.

This year, 16 players are slated to earn $30 million or more. Seven of them check in above $35 million, all the way up to New York Mets teammates Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at $43.3 million.

Decent work if you can get it, y'know?

The list is based on salary totals—specific to team contracts, not including endorsements—for players in 2023, per Spotrac data.

7. Corey Seager

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HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 06: Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) watches the pitch in the top of the fifth inning during the MLB game between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros on September 6, 2022 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Salary: $35.5 million

As part of a 10-year contract signed prior to the 2022 campaign, Corey Seager is due his highest single-season pay in 2023.

Seager, the shortstop for the Texas Rangers, has plenty to prove following a modest Texas debut. While he clubbed 33 homers and drove in 83 runs, Seager finished last season with a .245 average and .317 on-base percentage.

The main reason for optimism is that, because MLB banned the shift, Seager's pull-heavy approach may be very effective. Last season, per Baseball Savant, he yanked 62 percent of batted balls to right field.

Seager is one of two Rangers making $30-plus million in 2023; the other is newly signed pitcher Jacob deGrom.

6. Gerrit Cole

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 22: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning in game three of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 22, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Salary: $36 million

Given his immediate decline after the "sticky-stuff crackdown" in 2021, Gerrit Cole entered the 2022 season as a question mark. He mostly answered those questions, though.

Cole started 33 games, striking out a league-high 257 batters in his 200.2 innings. He ranked in the 92nd percentile of fastball spin rate and 87th on curveballs, according to Baseball Savant. The New York Yankees ace very much remains an elite pitcher.

Good thing, too, because he's paid an awful lot of money!

Cole has a well-documented home-run problem, giving up a big fly in all seven postseason starts with New York. But his upside, without a doubt, is worth it.

5. Mike Trout

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 25: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels looks on against the Minnesota Twins on September 25, 2022 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)

Salary: $37.1 million

Another year, another $37-plus million for Mike Trout. He's owed the same number throughout a contract that expires in 2030.

And the Los Angeles Angels are eager to see an encore.

Following an injury-plagued 2021, Trout appeared in 119 games last year and recorded a triple-slash of .283/.369/.630 with 40 homers and 30 more extra-base hits. When healthy, Trout showed he still has the excellence that made him a three-time American League MVP.

Beyond his health, however, the primary concern is whether the Angels have finally built a contender around Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Trout has played in just one postseason series during his brilliant individual career.

4. Anthony Rendon

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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Anthony Rendon #6 of the Los Angeles Angels looks on during the game against the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on October 04, 2022 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Salary: $38.6 million

Sometimes, you take a big swing and strike out.

The book isn't closed on Anthony Rendon, but the Angels third baseman has a prove-it season in front of him.

After a strong year in the shortened 2020 season, Rendon has struggled both on the field and staying healthy. Over the past two years, he's mustered a .235 average and .328 on-base percentage while appearing in just 105 games because of no fewer than four injuries.

Los Angeles is hoping Rendon's age-33 season will represent the yeah he started providing a solid return on his $245 million deal.

3. Aaron Judge

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TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 28: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run of the season in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 28, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Judge has now tied Roger Maris for the American League record. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Salary: $40 million

This offseason, Aaron Judge joined an exclusive club of MLB players with a $40 million annual salary.

Judge walked into free agency on the heels of a season in which he smacked an American League-record 62 homers. He also drove in 131 runs, winning the MVP with an impressive slash line of .311/.425/.686.

The result: New York agreed to pony up $360 million over nine years.

Cole and Judge are the foundation of a roster that is searching for the Yankees' first World Series' trip since 2009.

T-1. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander

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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 20: Pitcher Justin Verlander of the New York Mets walks into his introductory press conference at Citi Field on December 20, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Salary: $43.3 million

"Reunited and it feels so goooood."

Last year, Max Scherzer inked a three-year, $130 million pact to headline the New York Mets' rotation with deGrom. This offseason, the Mets landed Justin Verlander on a two-year worth identical money annually.

Now that deGrom is with Texas, the former Detroit Tigers teammates will share the spotlight in New York. Scherzer posted a 2.29 ERA and 169 ERA+ last season, while Verlander dominated in his return from Tommy John surgery. He notched a 1.75 ERA and 220 ERA+, winning the AL Cy Young and leading the Houston Astros to a World Series title.

Scherzer and Verlander have another $30 million teammate in Francisco Lindor, and the Mets nearly added another before an agreement with Carlos Correa fell through.