Despite Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge making big bucks, ex-Yankees coach spotlights major problem with MLB salaries

Three of the most outstanding players in the big leagues at the moment, including Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge, are all on bumper contracts, earning eye-watering amounts of money each year.

Many would argue that the current salary system, which means the most prominent stars receive the highest salaries, is justified, as they also attract the largest audience to watch the game and contribute to increasing the worldwide popularity of MLB.

According to former New York Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey, however, MLB should follow the lead of leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and NHL, and implement a salary cap, and also a salary floor to ensure every team is on an even playing field.

Casey explained his thoughts on Saturday's episode of 'The Mayor's Office with Sean Casey'.

"Look how healthy the NBA is, look how healthy the NFL is, look how healthy the NHL is, all have salary caps. Right now, it's not healthy that 51 players are making 50% of the money in the big leagues. It's not healthy that the owners are making way over 50% of the money and the players are making a little over 40." Casey said [12:45]

"Something's gotta give here. It's not healthy that teams can have a payroll of less than what Shohei Ohtani makes in a year. I think the floor needs to go up. You need to force some of these owners to a $120 million baseline, to put a good product on the field." Casey added

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MLB insider points out salary disparity between MLB and NBA, mentions how some bench players are making 'Aaron Judge money'

To further elaborate on the kind of salary disparity that MLB players face compared to players in other top professional sports leagues in the country, insider Rich Ciancimino explained how some sixth- or seventh-round players in NBA teams are still making 'Aaron Judge money' despite not even being the leading player on the roster.

"I'm looking at the contracts for some of these guys in the NBA, and I'm like, wow. Sixth man, seventh man on an NBA roster, making like Aaron Judge money, dude. They are up there, $100 million contracts are like skittles in the NBA, it's crazy." Ciancimino said [13:43]

Seattle Mariners v New York Yankees - Source: Getty

Putting the sheer mismatch into context, only five players in the big leagues - Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, Zack Wheeler, and Juan Soto- are set to make $40 million or more this season. On the other hand, 26 different players earned $40 million or more in the recently concluded 2024-25 NBA season, via ESPN