Who are MLB's highest-paid players at each position?

First, it was Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million contract. Then, Juan Soto topped that just one year later with a $765 million deal. Not all MLB contracts are like those two, but not all players are like that pair, either.

Still, there is a ton of money floating around for the very best that the league has to offer, and for all the excitement of (comparatively inexpensive) youth that permeates MLB action each year, the cornerstones of so many teams remain these proven veterans who can keep up with or straight-up surpass that next generation. For a price, of course.

Then again, Soto is still young — he’s still just 26, as is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose $500 million extension signed earlier this spring kicks in next year. It’s that combination of youth and talent that nets the most cash in MLB, but as long as there’s plenty of the latter, some teams still manage to find the money for those who are nearing or just over 30, too.

We took a look at the highest-paid players in MLB at each position, according to the average annual value (AAV) of their contracts.

All salary info comes via Spotrac and Baseball Prospectus . 

C: J.T. Realmuto , Philadelphia Phillies ($23.1M AAV)

Catchers who can actually hit are a real rarity in this day and age, which has seen prospective catchers filtered out at a young age for those capable of framing pitches like they’re one of the Molina brothers over any other attribute. Realmuto has had a tough April, but from 2022 through 2024, he hit .264/.325/.455 for a 115 OPS+ — there aren’t many catchers doing that kind of work at the plate anymore, and Realmuto got paid because he’s one of the few who can.

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. , Toronto Blue Jays ($28.5M AAV)

Technically, Mets’