MLB Highest-Paid First Basemen – Salaries Ranking for 2022 Season

First baseman are usually some of the top sluggers in baseball and they are paid as such.

They may not always be the best defensive players or most athletic, but what teams are looking for out of the first base position is hitting, and hitting for power.

Here’s a breakdown of the highest paid first basemen in 2022, followed by the table with salaries at the bottom. 

Freddie Freeman leads all first basemen with a salary of $27 million in 2022. The five-time all star won a championship with the Atlanta Braves in 2021 before signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason. He’s a career .296 hitter and won the National League MVP in 2020. Freeman signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers in March of 2022.

Paul Goldschmidt came up with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011 and spent the early part of his career there, making the All-Star Game every year from 2013-2018. He’s a four-time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award winner, showing his value both at the plate and in the field. Goldschmidt was traded to the Cardinals after the 2018 season and soon signed a five-year, $130 million extension to stay in St. Louis. 

Joey Votto has spent his entire career in Cincinnati as a member of the Reds. He broke into the big leagues in 2007 and won the National League MVP in 2010, which was the first of his six All-Star seasons. Votto signed a 10-year, $225 million extension in 2012.

Eric Hosmer spent the first several seasons of his career with Kansas City before signing an eight-year, $144 million contract to play for the San Diego Padres. Hosmer was an All-Star in 2016 and won the World Series with the Royals the year before in 2015. He’s a four-time Gold Glove Award winner.

Jose Abreu has spent his entire career with the White Sox so far since entering the big leagues in 2014 when he won American League Rookie of the Year and made the first of three All-Star appearances. He won the AL MVP in 2020. Abreu is in the final year of a three-year, $50 million contract.

Brandon Belt is one of the only remaining Giants from the World Series era in San Francisco. He won two rings with the Giants in 2012 and 2014 and was an All-Star in 2016. Belt accepted the Giants’ qualifying offer for 2022, which pays him $18.4 million.

Anthony Rizzo made his debut in 2011 with the San Diego Padres, but was traded to the Cubs before the 2012 season. He’s a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove Award Winner, and was a part of the 2016 World Series Championship team in Chicago. Rizzo was traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline in 2021 and signed a two-year contract to stay in the Bronx worth $32 million.

Matt Olson came up with Oakland in 2016 and spent the first several years of his career with the A’s, earning an All-Star appearance in 2021. He also won a pair of Gold Glove Awards in 2018 and 2019. Olson was traded to the Braves before the 2022 season and immediately signed an eight-year, $168 million extension.

Carlos Santana has spent the majority of his career with Cleveland, with his best year coming in 2019. That season, Santana was an All-Star and received a Silver Slugger Award. He signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Royals after the 2020 season, and was traded to Seattle in June of 2022.

Josh Bell spent the first part of his career in Pittsburgh but was traded to Washington in advance of the 2021 season. He was an All-Star in 2019. Bell and the Nationals signed a $10 million contract for 2022.