Former Washington Nationals Among Highest-Earning Players in MLB History

There are four former Washington Nationals represented in the list of the highest-earning players in MLB history.

Jul 13, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; National League starting pitcher Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals (31) pitches against the American League during the first inning during the 2021 MLB All Star Game at Coors Field. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have not been scared to shell out big money to players in the past, but have also been the launching point for guys to receive massive paydays from other teams.

MLB data account BrooksGate recently released a list of the highest-earning players in MLB history and four of the Top 25 were former Nationals players.

MLB player career earnings leaderboard pic.twitter.com/LFJw9sGk2T

— BrooksGate (@Brooks_Gate) January 20, 2025

There were two players that started their career in Washington and got paid more by other teams. There were also two guys that received a majority of their money from the Nationals.

It is important to note that this list represents the money made up to today and does not account for future money promised by current contracts. Stars like Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto have not yet cracked it, despite signing the two largest deals in the sports history.

The highest-earning former Washington player on the list was legendary starting pitcher Max Scherzer, who is currently a free agent. Scherzer has made $314,574,999 up to this points and received a majority of that from the Nationals. He is the sixth-highest earning player ever.

Washington signed the ace to a seven-year, $210 million deal back in 2015, after he started his career with the Detroit Tigers.

It is safe to say that the Nationals got their money's worth as he made six All-Star teams, won two Cy Youngs and was a key member of their World Series squad.

Next up was Stephen Strasburg at No. 19 with $220,090,870. Washington is actually still paying him to this day. He is due a whopping $131 million between 2025-2029, despite retiring after 2022.

The Nationals gave him a regrettable seven-year contract worth $245,000,000 deal right before his career fell apart. Still, he won a World Series MVP and made three All-Star teams during his time there.

The final two players started their careers with the Nationals, but left for major paydays elsewhere.

Anthony Rendon was a first round pick back in the 2011 draft and had a great start to his career. He made one All-Star team and put up a slash line of .290/.369/.490 during his time in Washington.

The Los Angeles Angels then gave him a seven-year deal also worth $245 million back in 2019. Since then, his career has taken a nosedive and the contract has been a bit of a nightmare.

Bryce Harper was a successful version of that ordeal, though. After a great tenure with the Nationals, he went to the Philadelphia Phillies and has continued to be great.

Harper came in at No. 25 on the list with $196,629,629 in his career.