Baseball's $100 million first basemen

Atlanta Braves

Baseball's $100 million first basemen

Freddie Freeman's 8-year, $135 million contract with the Atlanta Braves puts him in a special class. After pitchers, first basemen are baseball's best-paid players and more than a handful have earned mega deals.

Freddie Freeman's 8-year, $135 million contract with the Atlanta Braves puts him in a special class. After pitchers, first basemen are baseball's best paid players and more than a handful have earned mega deals.

Joey Votto's 12-year, $251.5 million deal with the Reds is the longest guaranteed contract in the majors - rivaling both of Alex Rodriguez's 10-year deals. Votto will make $12 million in 2014 before seeing steep raises to $20 million in 2016, $22 million in 2017 and $25 million each season through 2024.

Albert Pujols' massive $240 million deal through 2021 with the Angels of Anaheim will make him one of the best paid players at the position. His salary incrementally rises with each passing season. Pujols made $16 million in 2013, but will see a hike to $23 million in 2014. Starting in 2016, he will make upwards of $25 million a season.

When signed by the New York Yankees at the end of the 2008 season, Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180 million contract was the third biggest in baseball history. He will earn an average $22.5 million through 2016.

Prince Fielder has seven years remaining on the $214 million, nine-year contract he signed with the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Fielder was traded to the Texas Rangers where he will make an average salary of $24 million until 2020.

The Philadelphia Phillies baseman agreed to a $125 million, five-year contract extension with Ryan Howard in 2010 keeps him with the Phillies until 2017. Howard makes $25 million on average each season.

In 2011, the Boston Red Sox signed Adrian Gonzalez to a seven-year, $154 million deal that pays him $21 million a year from 2012 to 2016 and $21.5 million a year in 2017 and 2018. A year later Boston would trade Gonzalez, along with a few other big contracts, to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Freddie Freeman's 8-year, $135 million contract with the Atlanta Braves puts him in a special class. After pitchers, first basemen are baseball's best paid players and more than a handful have earned mega deals.

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