Are star baseball players overpaid?

Question

Alex Rodriguez = $27 mil / yr
Jason Giambi = $21 mil / yr
Derek Jeter = $20 mil / yr
Manny Ramirez = $18 mil / yr
Todd Helton = $16.6 mil / yr

to round off the top 5.

Great answers so far...will give you my thoughts on these salaries after I get a few more answers...

Ok...first of all to Mark V. where in my question does it say "all"? I specifically targeted 'star' bb players. Everyone seems to agree that baseball is a business and money is the driving force behind the game. With that being said, overpaid yes, for their ability to play the game, overpaid no, for their ability to attract millions of people each year to fill the stands. Read the top five names on the list, they are names we know (household names) So bottom line, it's a business, they pay star players what they pay them to attract buisness and sell as many jerseys and tickets as possible. Do I think A-rod is overpaid, NO he is an awesome player (i'm an ANGELS fan) and brings in the revenue that is needed to cover his salary....

CHIPMAKER....name those underpaid players and their salaries...I'm interested to know.

CHIPMAKER...One question..how many Justin Verlander Jerseys have you seen, as a matter of fact, out of all those people, even the one you have not listed, how many have you seen? Back to my point, you have to be a star baseball player to make any real money.

Answer 1

Saying that baseball players are overpaid is right and wrong at the same time.

On one hand it is clear that they are paid disproportionately for what they do. I mean they play a game for a living. Perhaps if jobs were paid by importance to a society firefighters, police officers, and school teachers would be among the highest paid. If you think of it that way then yes they are over paid.

On the other hand, professional baseball is a business. Teams work on a budget and pay according to what they can afford. If the Yankees were paying those players all that cash and not turning a profit then the players would be overpaid. But since the team is valued at something like a billion dollars the combined $68 million dollar salaries of those top three players is not that large of a percentage. By this logic they are not overpaid.

I guess another way to look at it would be to judge by their production. It's been a while since the Yankees won a World Series. In fact they haven't won since getting A. Rod. The Red Sox didn't even make the playoffs last season and Colorado while resurgent this season has been a poor team for many years now. In this respect they are overpaid.

Answer 2

Sure, they have a right. However, if they do it's just jealousy in my opinion. They wouldn't be complaining if they were in the same position. It's certain people who buy tickets who think because they purchased a seat they can say such things. Well, they can stay at home if they don't want to contribute to the madness and stop watching the games on tv as well. But there is a reason these guys get paid what they do, it's because that's the going rate for entertainers of their calibur. If they don't get the money then who does? The owner? The money has to go somewhere and I think it's going to the right people, the ones who get out there and bust their butts on the field.

Answer 3

You can't just say ALL baseball players are overpaid.

Dan Haren has been the best pitcher in the majors this year and he makes 2.25 million per year. But Richie Sexson's batting avg. has hovered around .200 all season and he makes 15.5 million.

My point is this, there are dozens of players who are underpaid (John Lackey, Brian McCann, Jeff Francoeur, Carl Crawford) and there are lots of players who are overpaid (Helton, Sexson, Beltre, Delgado, Carl Pavano).

They make a lot of money because baseball stadiums are larger than many other professional sports arenas (excluding football) and they are full for 80 games each year - whereas football stadiums only house 8 games each year. That's why they make so much money.

Answer 4

You've crafted a tautology. Any player being paid big money, top 25 money, is going to be considered a star regardless.

More interesting to ask, are there any star players who are underpaid? Easily yes -- anyone who has not yet gained arbitration or free agency rights are under some artificial, imposed constraints. Free agent contracts are openly negotiable. If the team owner agrees to the salary, he must think the player is worth it, and that's not "overpaid".

Answer 5

Absolutely. No One actually plays the game for the love of IT anymore......Where as these players are away from home for so long I do agree they should be paid for their services, but you know what?? Regular Joes like me would gladly play for $100 thousand a year , where as working a normal job would make about 1/4 of that.........I absolutely refuse to contribute to the salaries of players who are only in it for the money.....That's why I like the Marlins.......they are a bunch of rookies and 2nd year guys who bust their butts , because they love to play and haven't yet become infected with the love of money.......After all, couldn't you live comfortable with 100 thousand,,,,,,,for that matter probably 50 thousand for me would work.

Answer 6

Of course they are but because of the gigantic amount of revenue these players bring into their selective teams, these teams, in turn, can afford to offer such ridiculous salaries. Sure, they worked very hard to be where they are and they sacrifice so much to be there. As long as the fans are still willing to buy tickets, merch, and the like, there will continue to be enormous salaries for the best of the best. It's just part of professional sports.

Answer 7

The only reason they get payed so much is because they can be. Baseball teams make so much money, and it has to go to someone, and the players are the most important part of the team.

Answer 8

To me even a rookie making the minimum is overpaid. I think they get around 250,000. It is a business just like anything else, but to play a game and make that much $ is just a bit crazy imo.

Answer 9

Absolutely but its no different in any other sport. David Beckam is going to play in the MLS and make 250+ million doing it? That's nuts as well. Our sense of heroes affords them the astronomical salaries. Maybe we're at fault.

Answer 10

Of course they are overpaid, and is that what A-Rod makes or is it what the Yankees pay him? Was just trying to remember how much he makes recently and know the Yankees and Rangers pay him but wasn't sure the total amount.