Alex Rodriguez’s net worth is $235 million. The Alex Rodriguez net worth figure is built mostly on salary, with a much smaller cut from endorsements and investments.
When you smoke cigarettes for decades, lung cancer doesn’t come as a shock. When you make $20 million to $30 million a year for decades, the expected side effect is getting extremely rich. Alex Rodriguez has earned such a high salary for so many years that a high Alex Rodriguez net worth figure is as natural as wearing cleats. The Yankees infielder has earned a total of $416 million over the years in salary from MLB contracts. He has earned a comparatively low $34 million in estimated endorsement deal money. All together, that comes to $450 million. The reason he doesn’t still have that much money is taxes and expenses. A-Rod pays the highest federal tax rate possible, shelling out $223 million in his lifetime to Uncle Sam. Expenses estimated at another 10% take $45 million more, while investments add back a likely $53 million.
The tables below show hard data for Rodriguez’s salary, plus media estimates of endorsement pay. Calculations on tax, expense and investment money round out the full Alex Rodriguez net worth picture. As to those who point to A-Rod’s characteristic lavish spending as evidence his net worth is lower than reported, the player has a Midas touch. Like Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions, A-Rod seems to make money every time he spends it.
Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Comparisons
Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Facts | |
|---|---|
| Alex Rodriguez net worth | $235,263,325 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs Derek Jeter net worth | 30% bigger |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs David Ortiz net worth | 5 times bigger |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs Albert Pujols net worth | About the same |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs Tiger Woods net worth | About 1/4 as big |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs LeBron James net worth | 8% bigger |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs Bill Clinton net worth | 3 times bigger |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs Peyton Manning net worth | 26% bigger |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth vs typical American family net worth | 3,538 times bigger |
Comparing the Alex Rodriguez net worth total to the wealth of other baseball players, A-Rod holds up well. With $235 million, Rodriguez has 30% more wealth than legendary Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter at $185 million. The Alex Rodriguez net worth figure is 5 times bigger than David Ortiz’s net worth of $45 million. It’s about the same as Albert Pujols’ net worth of $240 million. Rodriguez’s net worth even shines outside the world of MLB, edging out LeBron James’ net worth of $223 million by about 8%. That’s even more impressive because A-Rod doesn’t command nearly the kind of endorsement earnings clout as James does. One of the few sports stars who manages to eclipse the Alex Rodriguez net worth star is Tiger Woods. The superstar golfer’s $825 million is about four times larger than Rodriguez’s fortune. Beyond the world of sports, Bill Clinton has about three times less net worth than A-Rod with $80 million. Finally, the run of the mill American family has about $68,000 saved. It would take 3,538 such families to build a pile of money as big as the Alex Rodriguez net worth mountain.
Related: How Much Money Do You Get If You Win the World Series?
Alex Rodriguez Net Worth: Baseball, Baseball, Baseball
People who worry that lavish spending or suspensions or big lawsuits will leave A-Rod in the poorhouse haven’t grasped the sheer magnitude of Rodriguez’s regular and long-running salary. The Alex Rodriguez net worth monster has a backbone of pure gold, built on a salary that started back in 1994 and at times has reached a height of $33 million a year. Yes, Rodriguez is rumored to buy three suits for every rookie on his team. Yes he spends extravagantly on Ferraris and beach homes. But a beach home can be resold at a profit and a Ferrari costs less than half a million. Put that in perspective. A fully loaded Ferrari Maranello would have eaten up all of 1% of A-Rod’s 2010 Yankees salary.
All in all, salary chips in $416 million to the A-Rod net worth sum. Endorsements add $34 million. Rodriguez’s average salary from 2001 through 2016 was $25 million, and that’s even with his 2014 suspension factored in. Even with decreased pay in 2016, the infielder is still on track to make $23 million in combined salary and endorsement pay.
Sources of Alex Rodriguez Net Worth | |
|---|---|
| Income Source | Amount |
| Alex Rodriguez Salary Total | $416,159,551 |
| Endorsements | $34,000,000 |
| Total Alex Rodriguez Earnings | $450,159,551 |
| Average Alex Rodriguez Salary (Average) | $25,257,428 |
| Alex Rodriguez Salary 2016 (+Endorsements) | $23,000,000 |
| Taxes (52.9%) | $222,967,255 |
| Expenses (10%) | $45,015,955 |
| Investments (6% of net worth/yr) | $53,086,984 |
| Alex Rodriguez Net Worth | $235,263,325 |
Related: MLB Baseball Players Minimum Wage Unchanged…at $507,500
Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Over Time | |
|---|---|
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2002 | $26,991,250 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2003 | $38,013,675 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2004 | $49,210,902 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2005 | $62,875,241 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2006 | $76,505,084 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2007 | $92,053,623 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2008 | $107,376,499 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2009 | $125,252,587 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2010 | $143,681,904 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2011 | $162,265,771 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2012 | $180,593,172 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2013 | $199,071,970 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2014 | $202,673,118 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2015 | $218,924,646 |
| Alex Rodriguez net worth 2016 | $235,263,325 |
The table and chart above show the growth of the Alex Rodriguez net worth monster over time. The net worth figures you see above combine A-Rod’s MLB salary and his endorsement deals. They also adjust for taxes and expenses, adding 6% back in each year for probable investments. The low trajectory of the net worth line from ’93 through 2000 is only low when it’s compared to Rodriguez’s other years. Really in those years Rodriguez was earning anywhere from half a million up to $4.4 million every year. Yet in 2001 the A-Rod money train really picked up steam. Since that year, the star player has made at least $21 million every year with the exception of 2014’s extended suspension. That’s the little flat spot in the mostly massively upward curving line above.
Watching @kobebryant's last game with the crew. #MambaDay pic.twitter.com/bDlmtXKJ0A
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) April 14, 2016
Alex Rodriguez Salary Over Time
By far the biggest reason for the extremely high Alex Rodriguez net worth numbers is his extremely high salary. The infielder and designated hitter didn’t always make tens of millions per year. In fact when he first started his MLB career with the Seattle Mariners, his three year rookie contract gave him “only” $442,000 per year. That’s the set of stubby blue lines in the chart below. The contract was for $1.3 million total, with most of that as a signing bonus of an even million. A-Rod’s second contract was significantly better. It’s represented by the next set of slightly longer blue lines from ’97 through 2000. The four year contract had no signing bonus and kept him with the Mariners, pumping up the Alex Rodriguez net worth figure by $10.7 million. It wasn’t until Rodriguez made the move to the Texas Rangers in 2001 that his salary jumped to over $22 million. That contract was for 10 years and $252 million. The player was traded to the Yankees in early 2004 and signed his current contract with that team in 2008 for a further 10 years at $275 million. His unsigned free agent year is 2018.
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Rodriguez’s post-suspension salary has not returned to its $30 million dollar levels. That said, he’s still guaranteed $20 million a year through the end of 2017. To see how salary and endorsements work to build the Alex Rodriguez net worth total, see below.
Endorsements and Alex Rodriguez Net Worth
For some reason, Rodriguez doesn’t shine when it comes to endorsement deals. It’s true the player has faced allegations of infidelity and steroid use, but those didn’t come out until at least 2007. That’s a full six years after A-Rod hit his salary earnings stride. So why doesn’t the player pull down the big endorsement bucks? It may just be that MLB players as a group don’t tend to get big sponsor deals. Forbes did a review of the top ten athletes with the most endorsement money in 2015, and not one of them was a baseball player. The list had four tennis players, three golfers, three NBA players, three soccer players, a runner and, believe it or not, a cricket player. The Alex Rodriguez net worth figure does owe something to endorsement money. It’s just not the $10 million to $20 million a year we see with big name NBA players like LeBron James who have their own signature shoe lines. It’s also a far cry from the $50 million Tiger Woods made from endorsement deals in 2015.
Most online estimates put A-Rod’s annual endorsement pay at about $2 million a year since 2000. That adds up to $34 million in endorsement pay by 2016.
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Where Did We Get Our Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Numbers?
Figuring A-Rod’s net worth is a question of adding up his yearly salary and endorsement pay to get his total earnings. The table below shows the first part of that equation. It gives Rodriguez’s total earnings every year since 1994. Note the negative earnings estimate in 2014. That’s because the player spent an estimated $5 million on legal fees fighting his suspension over alleged performance enhancing drug use.
Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Calculations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Salary | Endorsements | Total Alex Rodriguez Earnings |
| 1994 | $442,333 | $442,333 | |
| 1995 | $442,333 | $442,333 | |
| 1996 | $442,333 | $442,333 | |
| 1997 | $1,112,500 | $1,112,500 | |
| 1998 | $2,126,200 | $2,126,200 | |
| 1999 | $3,112,500 | $3,112,500 | |
| 2000 | $4,362,500 | $2,000,000 | $6,362,500 |
| 2001 | $22,250,000 | $2,000,000 | $24,250,000 |
| 2002 | $22,400,000 | $2,000,000 | $24,400,000 |
| 2003 | $22,500,000 | $2,000,000 | $24,500,000 |
| 2004 | $22,100,000 | $2,000,000 | $24,100,000 |
| 2005 | $27,200,000 | $2,000,000 | $29,200,000 |
| 2006 | $26,100,000 | $2,000,000 | $28,100,000 |
| 2007 | $29,700,000 | $2,000,000 | $31,700,000 |
| 2008 | $28,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $30,000,000 |
| 2009 | $33,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $35,000,000 |
| 2010 | $33,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $35,000,000 |
| 2011 | $32,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $34,000,000 |
| 2012 | $30,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $32,000,000 |
| 2013 | $29,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $31,000,000 |
| 2014 | $3,868,852 | $2,000,000 | $5,868,852 |
| 2015 | $22,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $24,000,000 |
| 2016 | $21,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $23,000,000 |
| Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Totals | $416,159,551 | $34,000,000 | $450,159,551 |
Related: Tiger Woods Net Worth: Why It’s Not a Billion Yet
Taxes, Expenses and Alex Rodriguez Net Worth
The next part of the Alex Rodriguez net worth math is taxes, expenses and investments. Rodriguez has earned a total of $450 million since his rookie year in 1994. On that money, he’s paid an estimated $223 million in taxes. That’s based on the top federal tax bracket of 39.6% plus the top New York State tax slot of 8.82%. We figured in another 10% for agent fees, cost of living and other expenses. A-Rod most probably doesn’t keep his excess money in a savings account. By all estimates, most investors can expect roughly a 6% return over time. Applying that percentage each year gives the MLB star $53 million in investment earnings since ’95. Subtracting taxes and investments and adding back net worth gives the final Alex Rodriguez net worth amount of $235 million.
Alex Rodriguez Net Worth Adjustments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total Alex Rodriguez Earnings | Taxes at 48.42% | Expenses at 10% | Investment Income (6%) | Alex Rodriguez Net Worth |
| 1994 | $442,333 | $214,178 | $44,233 | $0 | $183,922 |
| 1995 | $442,333 | $214,178 | $44,233 | $5,692 | $373,536 |
| 1996 | $442,333 | $214,178 | $44,233 | $11,560 | $569,018 |
| 1997 | $1,112,500 | $538,673 | $111,250 | $17,610 | $1,049,206 |
| 1998 | $2,126,200 | $1,029,506 | $212,620 | $32,471 | $1,965,751 |
| 1999 | $3,112,500 | $1,507,073 | $311,250 | $60,836 | $3,320,764 |
| 2000 | $6,362,500 | $3,080,723 | $636,250 | $102,771 | $6,069,063 |
| 2001 | $24,250,000 | $11,741,850 | $2,425,000 | $187,825 | $16,340,038 |
| 2002 | $24,400,000 | $11,814,480 | $2,440,000 | $505,691 | $26,991,250 |
| 2003 | $24,500,000 | $11,862,900 | $2,450,000 | $835,325 | $38,013,675 |
| 2004 | $24,100,000 | $11,669,220 | $2,410,000 | $1,176,447 | $49,210,902 |
| 2005 | $29,200,000 | $14,138,640 | $2,920,000 | $1,522,979 | $62,875,241 |
| 2006 | $28,100,000 | $13,606,020 | $2,810,000 | $1,945,863 | $76,505,084 |
| 2007 | $31,700,000 | $15,349,140 | $3,170,000 | $2,367,679 | $92,053,623 |
| 2008 | $30,000,000 | $14,526,000 | $3,000,000 | $2,848,876 | $107,376,499 |
| 2009 | $35,000,000 | $16,947,000 | $3,500,000 | $3,323,088 | $125,252,587 |
| 2010 | $35,000,000 | $16,947,000 | $3,500,000 | $3,876,317 | $143,681,904 |
| 2011 | $34,000,000 | $16,462,800 | $3,400,000 | $4,446,668 | $162,265,771 |
| 2012 | $32,000,000 | $15,494,400 | $3,200,000 | $5,021,801 | $180,593,172 |
| 2013 | $31,000,000 | $15,010,200 | $3,100,000 | $5,588,997 | $199,071,970 |
| 2014 | $5,868,852 | $7,841,698 | $586,885 | $6,160,879 | $202,673,118 |
| 2015 | $24,000,000 | $11,620,800 | $2,400,000 | $6,272,328 | $218,924,646 |
| 2016 | $23,000,000 | $11,136,600 | $2,300,000 | $6,775,280 | $235,263,325 |
| Totals | $450,159,551 | $222,967,255 | $45,015,955 | $53,086,984 |
Related: How Much Money Does an NBA Player Make?
How Much Did Rodriguez’s Suspension Hurt His Net Worth?
A-Rod’s 2014 suspension from the MLB because of performance enhancing drugs likely took about $32 million from his net worth. Without that suspension, the player would have a net worth of around $270 million by now. By most estimates, Rodriguez spent around $5 million in legal fees. He also missed out on about $25 million in MLB salary. Finally, without that money he lost about another $1 to $2 million in investment income.
Want to find out more about the money in Major League Baseball? Check out our article on how much money players make when they win the World Series. Also see our net worth article on Mike Trout, one of the MLB’s rising stars. Beyond the world of MLB, take a look at our article on how much money NBA and NFL players make.
To my good friend @kobebryant. Thanks for all of the memories and inspiration. #legend #MambaDay (pic: @lakers) pic.twitter.com/GcautCkVyB
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) April 13, 2016
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