Juan Soto topped Forbes’ 2025 estimate of MLB players’ earnings at $126.9 million, ahead of Shohei Ohtani at $102 million and Blake Snell at $65.6 million. The ranking measures estimated earnings for the 2025 season, including on-field and off-field income, before taxes and agent fees; it is not a salary-only list or a ranking of total contract values.
Forbes’ highest-paid MLB players in 2025
These are Forbes México’s estimates for the 2025 season. Forbes’ reported on-field figures include salary, signing bonuses and deferred payments; off-field estimates cover annual cash from endorsements, licensing, appearances and memorabilia, as well as returns from businesses where a player has a significant interest. The estimates are based on conversations with industry insiders. Forbes México’s 2025 ranking and methodology reports the following leading players:
| Rank | Player | Total estimated earnings | On-field | Off-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Soto | $126.9 million | $121.9 million | $5 million |
| 2 | Shohei Ohtani | $102 million | About $2 million | About $100 million |
| 3 | Blake Snell | $65.6 million | $62.6 million | $3 million |
Forbes estimated the top ten together at $576 million, up 25% from $462 million for the prior year’s top ten. The accessible ranking details establish the three leaders above; they do not establish the remaining individual places and figures, so this list does not infer them.
Why Soto and Ohtani earn through different channels
Juan Soto: mostly on-field earnings
Forbes’ estimate for Soto comprises $121.9 million on-field and $5 million off-field. Its account describes a $75 million signing bonus and a $46.9 million 2025 salary, which together explain the reported on-field total. A signing bonus is compensation associated with a contract, not a recurring annual salary; the season estimate combines the amounts Forbes counts for that year.
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Shohei Ohtani: mostly off-field earnings
Forbes estimated about $2 million of Ohtani’s total on-field and about $100 million off-field. The off-field estimate is why he ranks second on this earnings list even though a salary-oriented accounting can place him much lower.
Why MLB salary lists rank Ohtani differently
“Highest-paid” can describe different measures. Forbes estimates a player’s total season earnings, combining specified on-field and off-field income. The Associated Press’ 2025 opening-day salary study instead addresses payroll: it includes salaries, prorated signing bonuses and other guaranteed income, with adjustments for trade cash, signing bonuses owed by the contracting club, option buyouts and termination pay.
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For that payroll accounting, AP discounted Ohtani’s nominal $70 million annual salary to $28.2 million in present value because most of it is deferred. AP reported Soto at $61.9 million in its opening-day salary study. Those figures answer a different question from Forbes’ total-earnings estimates; they do not revise Forbes’ ranking. See the AP’s 2025 opening-day salary study.
For context on the difference between a season figure and a contract headline, MLB.com reports Soto’s Mets agreement as 15 years and $765 million for 2025–2039, and Ohtani’s Dodgers deal as 10 years and $700 million for 2024–2033, with unprecedented deferrals. Those are whole-contract values, not amounts earned in one season. MLB.com’s contract-history overview provides that context.
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Keep the financial measures separate
- Total estimated earnings: Forbes’ season estimate combining its on-field and off-field categories.
- On-field earnings: Forbes’ season measure, which includes salary, signing bonuses and deferred payments but excludes individual or team performance incentives.
- Payroll or salary treatment: a club/payroll-oriented accounting measure, such as AP’s opening-day study, which may value deferred payments in present-value terms.
- Whole-contract value: the total guarantee across a contract’s years, not a single season’s earnings.
For another salary-oriented comparison, BetMGM’s 2025 table, citing Spotrac total-cash figures, lists Soto at $121.875 million and Snell at $64.8 million—values that differ from Forbes’ estimates and reflect a different compilation and measure. It is a secondary list, not a substitute for Forbes’ earnings ranking. BetMGM’s 2025 salary list.
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