Despite being one of the positions in baseball with the least amount of starpower, catcher is one of the most crucial positions on the diamond.
The catcher is responsible for leading the pitching staff and often determining the pitches thrown by those pitchers. They must have immense knowledge of the opposing team’s lineup and the strategy to pitch to each hitter.
Here’s a breakdown of the highest paid catchers in 2022, followed by the table with salaries at the bottom.
JT Realmuto leads the way making nearly $24 million this year. The Philadelphia catcher. He became an All-Star in 2018 with the Miami Marlins, and also won the Silver Slugger that same season. He has been in Philadelphia since a 2019 trade and signed a five-year, $155.5 million contract which is more than any catcher has ever gotten.
Yasmani Grandal makes over $18 million for the White Sox in his 11th season in the big leagues. After stints with the Padres, Dodgers, and Brewers, Grandal signed a four-year $73 million contract in 2019 with the White Sox. He’s a two-time All-Star, making the midsummer classic in 2015 and 2019.
Salvador Pérez is one of the only catchers in the league that can truly be categorized as a slugger. He’s a seven-time All Star and 2015 World Series MVP that also led the big leagues in home runs in 2021 with 48. He signed a four-year extension in 2021 that was worth $82 million.
Yadier Molina is still going strong at age 39, playing his 19th season for the St. Louis Cardinals. The two-time champion and ten-time all star announced the 2022 season would be his last when he signed the one-year, $10 million extension in the offseason.
Willson Contreras came up to the majors with the Cubs in 2016 and was part of the Chicago team that ended the World Series drought. Contrereas was an All-Star in 2018 and 2019, and the catcher and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $9.625 million deal to avoid an arbitration hearing.
Gary Sánchez is one of the most powerful catchers in baseball and a two-time All-Star with the Yankees in 2017 and 2019. He was traded to the Twins in March of 2022 as part of the deal that sent Josh Donaldson to the Bronx.
James McCann spent the first several seasons of his career in Detroit with the Tigers, before moving on to the White Sox in 2019 where he had an All-Star season. McCann signed a four-year, $40.6 million contract in 2021 to play in New York for the Mets.
Travis d’Arnaud on the other hand, started his career with the Mets and spent time with the Dodgers and Rays before signing a two-year 16 million contract with the Atlanta Braves in 2020. That same season, he won the Silver Slugger before becoming a World Series Champion in 2021.
Tucker Barnhart came up with the Cincinatti Reds in 2014 and won two gold gloves in 2017 and 2020. He was traded to the Tigers in 2021.
Mike Zunino made his first All-Star appearance in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays. The former Golden Spikes Award winner as a college catcher displays a relatively all or nothing approach at the plate with good power numbers but a low batting average.
Name
Team
Salary
J.T. Realmuto
Phillies
$23,875,000
Yasmani Grandal
White Sox
$18,250,000
Salvador Perez
Royals
$18,000,000
Yadier Molina
Cardinals
$10,000,000
Willson Contreras
Cubs
$9,625,000
Gary Sanchez
Twins
$9,000,000
James McCann
Mets
$8,150,000
Travis d’Arnaud
Braves
$8,000,000
Tucker Barnhart
Tigers
$7,750,000
Mike Zunino
Rays
$7,000,000
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