Grading the highest-paid player on every MLB team so far this season

Being the highest-paid player on a Major League Baseball team seems like a sweet gig, the biggest perk being making a lot of money. However, there are also higher expectations for the guy who makes the most money from fans and the media. And, at least this year, those players have had a difficult time staying on the field.

Amazingly, 12 of the 30 highest-paid players on each team are on the injured list. Another pricy player is on the restricted list and may never play in the major leagues again.

While there aren’t many on active rosters at the moment, let’s hand out grades to each team’s highest-paid player as the season reaches its midpoint. The highest-paid players are based on the average annual value (AAV) of their contracts.

Corbin Burnes, Arizona Diamondbacks

• Grade: Incomplete

The right-hander has yet to pitch this season as he continues to rehab after having Tommy John elbow surgery on June 10, 2025. Burnes strained his teres major during live batting practice on May 29 for the first time since his surgery. The Diamondbacks are hopeful Burnes will be able to pitch for them in September.

Luis Severino, Athletics

• Grade: C

A right shoulder strain landed the right-hander on the IL, and he has not pitched since May 29. Severino received a plasma-rich platelet injection a few days after he was injured, and the Athletics are hopeful he can return in August. Severino is 2-6 with a 4.16 ERA in 12 starts this season, striking out 65 in 62 2/3 innings.

Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves

• Grade: D-

The Braves are leading the National League East without much help from their third baseman. Riley is hitting .211/.289/.349 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 76 games and has minus-one defensive runs saved. The 29-year-old seems to be in the decline phase of his career already, as his slash line is .246/.309/.441 since the start of 2024 after making back-to-back All-Star Game appearances in 2022-23.

Pete Alonso, Baltimore Orioles

• Grade: B

The Orioles felt they needed to shake up their roster in the offseason after finishing in last place in the American League East following consecutive postseason appearances. Their big player move was signing Alonso to a five-year, $155-million contract. The New York Mets’ career home run leader and five-time All-Star isn’t quite playing up to his usual level but has 18 home runs and 42 RBIs – both team-leading figures -- and a slash line of .249/.337/.475 with three DRS.

Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox

• Grade: D-

The left-hander has been out since April 26 with left shoulder inflammation and left lat tightness. Crochet won’t return until sometime after the All-Star break for the Red Sox, who are last in the AL East. He made six starts before being injured and has a 3-3 record, 6.30 ERA, and 37 strikeouts in 30 innings. The Red Sox are hopeful Crochet can begin a throwing program this week.

Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs

• Grade: D

The veteran third baseman represented the Cubs’ biggest splash of the winter when they signed him to a five-year, $140.03-million contract in free agency. Bregman has yet to make a major impact, hitting .250/.343/.350 in 76 games with 6 home runs and 25 RBI. In the field, Bregman has been better than expected, though, with seven DRS.

Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox

• Grade: A

The slugging first baseman is on the IL because of a right hamstring, but is a big reason why the surprising White Sox are second in the AL Central following three seasons of triple-digit losses. The former Nippon Professional Baseball slugger homered 20 times and drove in 41 runs while slashing .240/.378/.460 in 57 games before being injured on May 29. A strong AL Rookie of the Year candidate with one DRS, Murakami should return within the next two weeks and is proving to be the best bargain in last winter’s free agent class with his two-year, $34-million deal.

Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds

• Grade: D-

Despite hitting 49 home runs with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners last season, the 34-year-old baseman was unable to land a multiyear deal in free agency and signed a one-year, $15 million deal just before signing training. Suarez is batting just .208/.268/.305 with seven homers and 25 RBIs in 49 games, and minus-three DRS.

Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians

• Grade: B

The third baseman has been the Guardians’ heart and soul for a decade, but is currently on the IL after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand on June 13. Ramirez likely won’t return until late July. The seven-time All-Star is having a bit of a down year by his lofty standards as he is hitting .239/.339/.418 with 10 home runs, 33 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 72 games. He has four DRS.

Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies

• Grade: Incomplete

The third baseman and 2016 NL Most Valuable Player has been out all season because of lumbar degenerative disc disease. Doctors fear the 34-year-old Bryant may never play again.

Framber Valdez, Detroit Tigers

• Grade: C+

The Tigers signed the left-hander to a two-year, $70.65-million deal as a free agent in the offseason to give them a strong No. 2 starter behind reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Yet Valdez has not lived up to expectations as he is 3-5 with a 4.09 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings over 15 starts. The Tigers are fourth in the AL Central after making the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

• Grade: B-

The veteran shortstop will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing peroneus brevis tendon repair surgery on his left ankle on May 11. Correa played 32 games this year, hitting .279/.369/.418 with three home runs, 16 RBIs, and three DRS.

Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

• Grade: A+

The 26-year-old shortstop has firmly established himself as one of baseball’s biggest stars, and his 4.4 bWAR leads the AL. Witt has been a bright spot for the Royals, who are in the AL Central basement. He is batting .294/.368/.465 with 10 home runs, 32 RBIs, an MLB-best 28 steals, and seven DRS in 76 games. The Royals have taken a step back since making a surprising postseason appearance in 2024, but Witt continues to ascend.

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

• Grade: A-

The center fielder was having a resurgent season until being placed on the injured list last Thursday because of a right hamstring strain that will likely keep the 34-year-old out of action for a month. Trout is hitting .234/.394/.472 in 74 games with 17 homers and 36 RBIs. The three-time All-Star is back in center after being the Angels’ primary right fielder last season, but has minus-4 DRS.

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Grade: A+

Are there any new ways left to describe the pitcher/designated hitter who won the NL MVP each of the last two seasons while leading the Dodgers to World Series titles both years? Ohtani is having his best season on the mound, going 7-2 with a 1.47 ERA in 12 starts while striking out 78 in 73 2/3 innings. At the plate, he is hitting .297/.418/.551 while belting 16 home runs and knocking in 43 runs from the leadoff spot in 70 games. That says it all.

Pete Fairbanks, Miami Marlins

• Grade: D

The closer has had an up-and-down season with the Marlins after signing a one-year, $13-million free-agent contract in the winter. Fairbanks has a 6.14 ERA in 24 games while converting 11 of 13 save opportunities with a 3-3 record and 31 strikeouts in 22 innings. He was a model of consistency in the previous seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, notching a 2.98 ERA in 267 games.

Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

• Grade: C+

Yelich has long been the face of the franchise for the Brewers, and the 34-year-old designated hitter is having a solid season for the NL Central leaders. He is hitting .269/.345/.417 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 44 games. Yelich missed one month earlier in the season with a left groin strain, the latest in a string of leg injuries that prevent him from regularly playing in the outfield anymore.

Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins

• Grade: Incomplete

The right-hander tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow early in spring training and underwent season-ending internal brace surgery on Feb. 25. The Twins are hopeful that Lopez could return early next season.

Juan Soto, New York Mets

• Grade: A

The Mets are buried in the NL East cellar, but Soto can’t be blamed. The left fielder is hitting .301/.398/.575, and his .974 OPS through 60 games is tops in the NL. Soto also has 17 home runs and 36 RBIs, but has a minus-2 DRS after switching from right field to left field at the beginning of spring training. In the first two seasons of his record $15-year, $765-million contract with the Mets, Soto has slashed .274/.396/.539 in 220 games.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

• Grade: A

The AL MVP each of the last two seasons has been sidelined since June 2 with a stress fracture of the first rib on the right side. Judge is expected to be reexamined next week to see if he can be cleared to resume baseball activities. The Yankees are still in first place in the AL East without Judge. However, they are likely to eventually miss a player who is batting .248/.375/.533 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs, and one DRS in 59 games this season.

Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies

• Grade: A

The right-hander did not make his season debut until April 25 while rehabbing after thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. However, Wheeler has been a great complement to left-hander Cristopher Sanchez at the top of the Phillies’ rotation with a 7-1 record and 2.11 ERA in 11 starts. Wheeler has given up just 42 hits in 68 1/3 innings and has struck out 69.

Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh Pirates

• Grade: B

It says something about the penurious Pirates that a rookie has the highest AAV on the roster. It also says a lot about Griffin that the Pirates would sign him to a nine-year, $140-million contract as a 19-year-old who hadn’t proven himself in the big leagues. Griffin has been out with a right forearm strain since May 31, but is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the minor leagues later this week. He is hitting .270/,327/.402 with four home runs, 22 RBIs, 14 stolen bases, and three DRS in 51 games.

Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

• Grade: D-

Machado is easily having the worst season of his 15-year career, hitting .179/.259/.366, though he has homered 13 times and driven in 41 runs in 74 games. He is also having an atrocious year at third base with minus-six DRS. At 33, it is fair to wonder if Machado is in a steep decline or just having a bad first half. The Padres are hoping for the latter as Machado is signed through 2033.

Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants

• Grade: C

The Giants are trying to trade the disappointing Devers, just barely more than a year after acquiring him from the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade. Devers’ statistics aren’t terrible, but he seems disinterested in being in San Francisco. Devers has a .238/.302/.433 slash line with an MLB-high 23 doubles, 11 home runs, 36 RBIs, and zero DRS. Still, the Giants expect elite production.

Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners

• Grade: F

The right-hander has lost half his spot in the Mariners’ starting rotation as he and Bryce Miller are serving in tandem as piggyback pitchers each turn through the rotation. After notching double-digit wins in each of the last three seasons, Castillo is 2-6 with a 5,22 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings in 15 games this year. The 33-year-old pitched 553 innings over the previous three seasons, and the workload could be catching up to him.

Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals

• Grade: C

The right-hander is the only Cardinals’ player with an eight-figure salary after he signed a one-year, $12-million contract in free agency in the offseason. May has been plagued by arm injuries and health issues throughout his career, but has made 15 starts for the Cardinals. The big redhead is 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings.

Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays

• Grade: Incomplete

Franco last played in a major-league game on Aug. 12, 2023, before being placed on the restricted list by MLB after being charged with multiple crimes in connection with a relationship with an underage girl in his native Dominican Republic. Though recently cleared of all charges, the expectation is that the 25-year-old All-Stat shortstop will not be reinstated by MLB.

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

• Grade: B

DeGrom turned 38 last Friday, but the right-hander’s late-career revival continues as he is 6-4 with a 3.59 ERA in 15 starts. The two-time Cy Young Award winner also has 98 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings, as his rate of 10.7 per nine innings leads the AL. DeGrom was the AL Comeback Player of the Year last season after making a combined nine starts in 2023-24 because of Tommy John elbow surgery.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays

• Grade: C-

Like the Blue Jays, Guerrero seems to be having a post-World Series hangover after a heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last fall. The first baseman has hit just four home runs in 73 games after belting at least 23 in each of the past five seasons. He drove home 31 runs while slashing .279/.365/.370 and has two DRS. The Blue Jays think it is a blip on the radar, but they need Guerrero to get untracked soon, as they have a 38-39 record.

Trevor Williams, Washington Nationals

• Grade: Incomplete

Williams is the lowest-paid player on this list as he is in the final year of a two-year, $14-million contract. The right-hander has spent the season on the IL after sustaining a right elbow sprain early in spring training, but has progressed to throwing bullpens.

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