MLB's average player salary rises to $5.34M, plus which team is barely spending more than a top player makes

Team-wide, the Mets lead the league with a $352.2 million payroll on Opening Day

As of 2026 Opening Day, the average player salary in Major League Baseball rose 3.4% from last year's season opener, per the Associated Press. The average is now $5.34 million, though there's a wide gulf in there. The league minimum is $780,000 -- often prorated, as minimum-salaried players can shuttle back and forth between the majors and minors -- but the highest-paid player makes over $60 million a season. 

Said player bringing in the biggest paycheck would be Juan Soto of the Mets, who signed a 15-year, $765 million contract before the 2025 season. The Mets also lead the way on team payroll for the fourth consecutive season. 

The top five players in salary: 

Juan Soto

Mets

$61.9 million

Cody Bellinger

Yankees

$42.5 million

Zack Wheeler

Phillies

$42 million

Bo Bichette

Mets

$42 million

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Blue Jays

$40.2 million

The Mets are carrying a team payroll of $352.2 million, a little short of the record the ballclub set in 2023 at $355.4 million. The lowest payroll in baseball belongs to the Cleveland Guardians at $62.3 million, or barely more than Soto himself is making. 

The disparity here will be highlighted time and again during the season and then in the offseason, when the collective bargaining agreement expires, setting the table for a showdown between the players and the owners. Many expect a salary cap to be one of the most hotly contested subjects, but remember, a cap inevitably comes with a salary floor. It'll be interesting to see the owners of the megamarkets trying to convince the smallest markets where the floor needs to be -- as getting a team like the Guardians up to $140 million, for example, would take a lot of doing.