MLB star on eight-figure salary had full payslip leaked and fans couldn't believe what he paid in tax

Baseball might have slipped behind the NFL and NBA in terms of popularity in the American sports landscape, but the stars of MLB still command staggering salaries.

In fact, in December 2023 Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani signed the most lucrative contract in sports history when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent.

Dwarfing any deals the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes have earned during their careers, the power hitter and pitcher penned a $700 million contract when he moved across LA, swapping the Angels for the Dodgers. And it proved money well spent, as Ohtani helped club who share ownership ties with Chelsea secure the 2024 World Series.

And Ohtani's enormous contract was eclipsed last month when Juan Soto – who played against the Dodgers for the NEw York Yankees in the World Series – joined the Metz, signing a $765 million, 15-year deal.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen's leaked payslip

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen doesn't earn quite as much as the aforementioned All-Stars, but when a copy of his payslip leaked online in 2015, it revealed a sizeable paycheque.

“It’s no big deal,” McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Trib. “It’s not like my routing number was on there so someone could hack into my account. I still got paid. That money’s in my account. I’m happy. I ain’t worried.”

McCutchen’s publicist, John Fuller, wasn't quite so blasé. He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the incident raised security concerns for his client.

“There’s a level of concern that has to come into play when personal information that isn’t normally something you’d make public gets posted all over the world wide web of the internet,” Fuller said.

According to deadspin.com, someone found McCutchen’s pay slip in the visitor’s changerooms while on a tour of Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where McCutchen’s Pirates had recently played the Cubs.

And after a photograph of the payslip leaked online, fans were stunned by the amount McCutchen was paying in taxes.

"His deductions for one paycheck are more than the vast majority of people in this world make in a year," wrote one Reddit commenter. "Think about that."

Another remarked simply: "Those taxes."

"Gross amount: $820K, Net amount: $427K Who says rich don't pay taxes," added another. "Some of those are hilarious: Pittsburgh Professional Athlete Fee: $9836 for two weeks!? It's expensive being an athlete in Pittsburgh."