Trout, Cole atop list of best paid

Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole head a starry quartet of players as the ones in majorleague baseball set to make more than $200,000 per game.

At least 65 players would earn at least $100,000 each time their team wins or loses if the pandemicdelayed majorleague season gets under way, according to an analysis of their contracts by the Associated Press.

Most rookies and those making the minimum would get nearly $3,500 each.

Trout, the 28yearold Los Angeles Angels outfielder who has won three AL MVP awards, has a $36 million salary. He is tied for the high with Cole, the 29yearold righthander who left Houston to sign with the New York Yankees. That works out to $222,222 for each game of the 162game season.

Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado is third at $216,049 per game, followed by Houston righthander Justin Verlander at $203,704. Next is lefthander David Price, acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers from Boston in February, at $197,531.

Opening Day was to be March 26 but has been delayed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Rob Manfred is confident the season will start at some point, and MLB and the union have discussed possibilities that include playing in empty ballparks and neutral sites.

A contentious negotiation is likely if Major League Baseball asks the players’ association to accept salary cuts to compensate for playing without fans and their accompanying revenue.