As baseball fans, many of us wonder about the worthiness of some of the elite and highest-paid players and whether or not they’re worth their considerable paychecks. But what about the other end of the bench and the managers penciling the superstars into the lineup card? Being a Major League Baseball manager doesn’t pay what it used to, according to a recent USA Today article. The gap between the highest paid player at (Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg at $38.3 million) and the lowest-paid managers is staggering.

High demands, low pay

As USA Today notes, managers don’t have it easy. Even managers who perform exceptionally well, are liked by fans, are praised in the press, and work well with owners make peanuts compared to the players. By and large, bench bosses are among the lowest-of-the-low when it comes to their paychecks.

5. Mickey Callaway, New York Mets: $850,000 (TIE)

Even though he oversees one of the most productive lineups in the game and has the Mets near the top of the competitive NL East, Mickey Callaway is one of the lowest-paid managers in Major League Baseball. If his team makes the postseason, he might be able to negotiate for a higher salary, but for now, Callaway has to settle for relatively little compared to some of his peers.

5. Davey Martinez, Washington Nationals: $850,000 (TIE)

If you ask some Nationals fans, Davey Martinez might be making too much money considering the overall lack of success during his tenure. However, when compared to his contemporaries, he’s on the low end of the pay scale.

4. Gabe Kapler, Philadelphia Phillies: $803,000

Major League Baseball managers don’t just plan out game day strategies these days. They’re media liaisons, motivational speakers, and relationship managers for the 25 competitive men in the clubhouse. That last part is why Kapler probably deserves more money. The Phillies are in win-now mode, but prize offseason acquisition Bryce Harper is already causing some problems in Philadelphia. Now, Kapler has to deftly handle the personalities in the clubhouse for another five months.

1. Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox: $800,000 (TIE)

Recently being compared to coaching legend Vince Lombardi in FanSided analysis was an enormous compliment to Alex Cora. He arguably delivered the best overall managerial performance of the 2018 season as he guided the Red Sox to the World Series title. Despite bringing glory back to Boston, Cora is one of the lowest paid managers in the game. It just seems odd that the manager of one of the best teams playing in Major League Baseball is so poorly compensated.

1. Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners: $800,000 (TIE)

Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald recently reported that former Cubs catcher Scott Servais is managing quite well since the Mariners had the best opening week of any ream. Servais takes his management role with the Mariners very seriously and had a prolific career playing for several teams in his career. During two of the three seasons playing behind the plate for Chicago, Servais was pulling in over $1 million annually and received bonuses in excess of $100,000, which pales in comparison to his management paycheck.

1. Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves: $800,000 (TIE)

Snitker was the 2018 National League Manager of the Year in 2018, so it seems odd to see him appear on this list. Yet here he is. Under Snitker’s leadership, the Braves had their first winning season and NL East division title in five years.

The other end of the spectrum

We just discussed the lowest-paid managers in baseball. The highest paid managers are literally on the other side of the coin. The Giants Bruce Bochy and the Cubs Joe Maddon both make $6 million annually. Maddon will sit alone atop the list next season since Bochy plans to retire at the end of the 2019 campaign.

Salary figures courtesy of AZ Central.