Justin Verlander, soon to be in his forties, has just signed a contract that will earn him $ 1.27 million per appearance on the mound in 2023 with the New York Mets. It’s the same deal as his new teammate Max Scherzer: $43.3 million per year. Aaron Judge will receive $40 million. Can you imagine how much your popcorn would cost you if the Expos came back?
• Read also: Xander Bogaerts lands big in San Diego
• Read also: Aaron Judge stays with the Yankees
Basically, the pandemic will not have shaken major league baseball’s revenues so much. Despite a general decline in attendance for nearly 20 years, revenues still reached $11 billion this year, the same as before COVID-19.
And so teams can start upping the ante again to come to terms with free agents. These auctions have taken on incredible proportions over the years.
air conditioner installer
In 1979, history’s most fascinating pitcher, Nolan Ryan, signed what was baseball’s most lucrative contract at the time: $1.125 million a year.
It was exceptional. He became the first to pocket more than a million dollars per season. A few years earlier, Ryan, then with the Mets, had played hero at the World Series and still had to install air conditioners to make ends meet.
File photo, REUTERS
Alex Rodriguez signing with the Texas Rangers in 2000.
In 2000, Alex Rodriguez had scored a crazy second leg of the salary climb. He had initialed an agreement of $25.2 million per year over 10 years.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 12 years old, I did not listen to my course in high school and had fun calculating what it represented. I used to tell everyone that it gave him $8 a minute, all the time. Even when he was going to the bathroom or sleeping.
Not all in the Temple
We have reached another level in recent years. Since “A-Rod”, more than 100 players have signed pacts that allow them to earn $27 million or more per campaign. And I confirm to you that they will not all be future members of the Hall of Fame.
In Nolan Ryan’s time, the average household salary in America was around $30,000. Today it is a little more than double. In baseball, players earn 39 times more on average. Of course, they touch what they generate. But it gives small markets nightmares.
The intriguing next step: when will a player sign a contract worth at least a billion dollars? Will we see it in our lifetime?
For a 12-year agreement, we are talking about annual revenue of $83 million. The highest paid athlete received $15 million in 2000, $20 million in 2010, then he receives $43 million this year.
New standard for Ohtani?
Next to take salaries to another level will be phenom Shohei Ohtani, dominating at bat and on the mound. Experts estimate that he would be a godsend at $50 million per season, while he generates more than $60 million annually according to the American advanced statistics site FanGraphs.
Photo archives, AFP
Shohei Ohtani
A contract of $60 million per year, for 12 years, would earn him $720 million by the time he turns 41. It is unlikely. His pact is likely to last about eight years. But, you never know with some owner-collectors of Picassos, like Steve Cohen, of the Mets. Such an agreement would allow Ohtani to become the majority owner of half of the major league baseball teams. That’s more than the gross domestic product of 12 countries.
Not too fashionable
It’s less fashionable to talk about an Expos comeback these days. And such amounts have nothing to bring it back into fashion. Teams must keep pace with those in good financial health to earn revenue.
Unless there’s exceptional contract management and full player development (like the Rays), there’s no way to be in the running. And on top of that, you have to ask fans to pay top dollar for parking, hops, hot dogs. No choice.
Even there, Tampa Bay has yet to win. Superstars don’t just sell tickets. They win. Think Verlander, who won the World Series and the Cy-Young, or Bryce Harper, who slapped the year to take his team to the finals. This duo costs $70 million.
Back to Ohtani. It will lay a foundation for superstars. The $1 billion contract will be sooner rather than later.
After him, if the trend continues, baseball’s next phenom could become a billionaire on a single contract.
The minimum wage for the other circuits
The manager and general manager of the Capitales de Québec, Patrick Scalabrini, is a fascinated observer of this jungle of salaries in the majors.
He has spent his life in professional baseball, as a player and manager. He has been witnessing this transformation for more than 20 years.
“I can’t believe we can have such a discussion in 2022. But I think we’re a lot closer than you think to a contract that’s approaching a billion dollars,” he said.
“If an aging pitcher like [Justin] Verlander may have $43.3 million, imagine how much it will be for [Shohei] Ohtani? he adds, denouncing in the same breath the meager salaries in the minor leagues affiliated with major baseball.
Less than $15,000
Remember that during the pandemic, this is where MLB decided to cut back to limit its losses. The leaders have reduced the number of teams and contracts.
And that, while the players of the minors asked for better conditions. Many pocket less than $15,000 for the season. It’s not even the minimum wage in the United States.
Before nothing
Scalabrini is well placed to see this reality, he who was able to attract to Quebec some of these athletes, whose dream was cut short after they had sacrificed everything to hope to join the circle of millionaires in the big league.
“It’s just not smart, deplores Scalabrini. And the day when everything ends for them and they want to do something else, it’s total panic. They have no diploma and no money. They have nothing in front of them after having sacrificed everything for their dream. They don’t know what to do in life. »
THE 10 BIGGEST SPORTS CONTRACTS IN HISTORY*
*Other contracts could be part of this list, but the details have never been made public.
HIGHEST-PAID BASEBALL PLAYER PER YEAR
Sources: Spotrack and Baseball Reference