Curtis Granderson is the biggest bonus
winner for being selected to this year's
All-Star Game |
On Tuesday, the MLB All-Star Game will be played in Phoenix. The Mid-Summer Classic is a chance for fans to see some of the games most popular players, and by extension, the belief is, the best players.
That’s changed over the years. With fans making a large part of the selections (via MLB.com, fans can vote as many as 25 times), the selections can smack of a popularity contest (after all, the game name has “Star” right in it).
But, for the players, there’s more than pride on the line for being selected. For many that have become free agents, bonuses and/or salary escalators are often clauses within contracts (sorry you 1-year salary arbitration and players with 1-3 years of ML Service Time, you don’t get those perks for being selected).
Going over contract data available, there are 15 players in line to get some extra green in their wallets due to being selected to the All-Star Game roster. All of them are straight bonuses, with one exception.
While Derek Jeter pulled in a cool $500,000 bonus for being selected (again) to the All-Star roster as part of his recent extension with the Yankees, the real winner this year is one of Jeter’s teammates.
Curtis Granderson has a clause in his contract by which his annual salary increases from $13 million to $13.5 million should he be selected as an All-Star in 2011 or 2012. On top of that, he gets a straight $25,000 bonus. So, Granderson clearly had more spring in his step when news of his selection was announced.
Below are 15 players selected to the All-Star Game, along with bonuses they receive as part of their contracts:
| Player |
Club |
Pos |
Bonus |
Notes |
| Yadier Molina |
Cardinals |
C |
$50,000 |
Voted by players |
| Troy Tulowitzki |
Rockies |
SS |
$25,000 |
Voted by players |
| Matt Holliday |
Cardinals |
OF |
$50,000 |
Voted by players |
| Jay Bruce |
Reds |
OF |
Unknown |
Voted by players |
| Cliff Lee |
Phillies |
P |
$50,000 |
Voted by players |
| Brian Wilson |
Giants |
P |
$25,000 |
Voted by players |
| Carlos Beltran |
Mets |
OF |
$100,000 |
Manager selection |
| Tim Lincecum |
Giants |
P |
$100,000 |
Manager selection |
| Michael Young |
Rangers |
DH |
$50,000 |
Voted by players |
| Felix Hernandez |
Mariners |
P |
$50,000 |
Voted by players |
| Michael Cuddyer |
Twins |
OF |
$25,000 |
Manager selection |
| Curtis Granderson |
Yankees |
OF |
$525,000 |
Fan selection. Has clause in contract that salary goes from $13M to $13.5 million if All-Star, plus $25,000 bonus |
| Jose Reyes |
Mets |
SS |
$50,000 |
Fan selection |
| Derek Jeter |
Yankees |
SS |
$500,000 |
Fan selection |
| David Ortiz |
Red Sox |
DH |
$50,000 |
Fan selection |
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).
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