The thing about payroll is...

This is the list before the Winter Meetings bonanza, before free agency begins. This is the list before Aaron Judge signs somewhere for a half-billion dollars. This is the list before potential opt-outers like Nolan Arenado, Jacob deGrom, Carlos Correa, and Xander Bogaerts opt-out before opting back in again - and they’re all already on this list because they deserved it when they signed years before. It’s the list before Willson Contreras re-sets the catching market and before Trea Turner finds where his next batting title will be.

This list has 54 names already.

It’s the list of MLB players who’ll be making more money guaranteed in 2023 than Mike Moustakas, 2B turned 3B turned bench bat of the Cincinnati Reds, just for you to have in mind when you think it’s his contract that’s made the Reds cry austerity for the second - nay, third - consecutive winter.

The List

Max Scherzer ($43.333M)

Anthony Rendon ($38.571M)

Mike Trout ($37.166M)

Gerrit Cole ($36M)

Corey Seager ($35.5M)

Trevor Bauer^ ($35.333M)

Carlos Correa* ($35.1M)

Stephen Strasburg ($35M)

Nolan Arenado* ($35M)

Francisco Lindor ($34.1M)

Manny Machado ($32M)

Miguel Cabrera ($32M)

Giancarlo Stanton ($32M)

Jacob deGrom ($30.5M)

Alex Bregman ($30.166M)

Shohei Ohtani ($30M)

Jose Altuve ($29M)

Kris Bryant ($28M)

Bryce Harper ($27.538M)

Chris Sale ($27.5M)

Freddie Freeman ($27M)

Marcus Semien ($26M)

Christian Yelich ($26M)

Paul Goldschmidt ($26M)

Justin Verlander ($25M)

Marcus Stroman ($25M)

oh hey there’s Joey Votto making the same as Marcus Stroman ($25M)

Mookie Betts ($25M)

Zack Wheeler ($24.5M)

Jason Heyward ($24.5M)

Patrick Corbin ($24.416M)

George Springer ($24.166M)

JT Realmuto ($23.875M)

Madison Bumgarner ($23M)

Carlos Rodon* ($22.5M)

Javier Baez ($22M)

Matt Olson ($21M)

Kevin Gausman ($21M)

Robbie Ray ($21M)

Josh Donaldson ($21M)

Starling Marte ($20.75M)

Charlie Morton ($20M)

Nick Castellanos ($20M)

Kyle Schwarber ($20M)

Hyun-Jin Ryu ($20M)

Joe Musgrove ($20M)

Wil Myers ($20M)

Xander Bogaerts* ($20M)

Trevor Story ($20M)

Salvador Perez ($20M)

Yu Darvish ($19M)

Chris Bassitt ($19M)

Lance Lynn ($18.5M)

Yasmani Grandal ($18.25M)

Seiya Suzuki ($18M)

Mike Moustakas ($18M)

*can opt into free agency after the end of the 2022 World Series

^horrendous human being