Major League Baseball players' average salary reached a record high of $4.72 million for the 2025 season, according to U.S. media reports.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday, citing MLB Players Association data, that the average salary for 146 players on big league rosters as of September 1 of the 2025 season was $4,721,393 (approximately 6.8 billion won).
Average salaries have risen for four consecutive seasons since 2021. The figure increased from $4,222,193 in 2022 to $4,525,719 in 2023 and $4,655,366 in 2024.
However, the rate of increase has been steadily declining year over year, reaching 1.4 percent this season. The growth rate has continued to slow from 14.8 percent in 2022, to 7.2 percent in 2023, and 2.9 percent in 2024.
Significant salary gaps emerged based on big league service time. Players with less than one year of service earned an average of $822,589, while those with one to two years earned $1,179,192. Salaries jumped to $1,833,386 for players with two to three years of service, when they become eligible for salary arbitration.
Players with three or more years of service earned $3,273,039, those with four or more years earned $3,932,847, and those with five or more years earned $8,019,748.
Salaries peaked before declining steadily from the 15th year of service. The average reached its highest point at $22,034,231 for players with 11 to 12 years of service, then dropped to $13,703,052 for those with 15 or more years.