MLB
MJ Melendez
MJ Melendez
Kansas City Royals, Left Field
Age: 26y-0m-23d (Nov 29, 1998)
Exp: 2.153 Years
Country: US
College: Florida International
Drafted: Round 2 (#52 overall), 2017
2025 Payroll Salary
$2,360,000
2025 Cash
$2,360,000
Career Earnings
$4,182,572
2025-2025 Arbitration (CURRENT)
MJ Melendez signed a 1 year , $2,360,000 contract with the Kansas City Royals, including $2,360,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,360,000. In 2025, Melendez will earn a base salary of $2,360,000, while carrying a total salary of $2,360,000.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $2,360,000
Average Salary:
$2,360,000
Signing Bonus:
N/A
Free Agent:
2029 / UFA
| Year | Age | Status | PayrollAnnual | Luxury Tax | Tax % League Tax | Cash Annual | Cash Cumulative | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
|
26 |
Estimate
|
$2,360,000 | $2,360,000 | 0.98% | $2,360,000 | $2,360,000 |
| 2026 |
|
27 |
ARB 2
|
|||||
| 2027 |
|
28 |
ARB 3
|
|||||
| 2028 |
|
29 |
ARB 4
|
|||||
| 2029 |
|
30 |
UFA |
| Year | Age | Service | Status | Base Salary | Incentives Likely | Incentives Unlikely | Payroll Salary | Luxury Tax | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
|
26 | 2.153 |
Estimate
|
$2,360,000 | - | - | $2,360,000 | $2,360,000 |
| 2026 |
|
27 | -- |
ARB 2
|
|||||
| 2027 |
|
28 | -- |
ARB 3
|
|||||
| 2028 |
|
29 | -- |
ARB 4
|
|||||
| 2029 |
|
30 | -- |
UFA |
| Year | Age | Status | Base Salary | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Cash Remaining | AYC Cumulative | AYC Remaining | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
|
26 |
Estimate |
$2,360,000 | $2,360,000 | $2,360,000 | - | $2,360,000 | $2,360,000 |
Source:
MLB contract specifics generally collected from verified reports.
2024-2024 Pre-Arbitration
MJ Melendez signed a 1 year , $754,750 contract with the Kansas City Royals, including $754,750 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $754,750.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $754,750
Average Salary:
$754,750
Signing Bonus:
N/A
To see the rest of the MJ Melendez's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Already Subscribed? Login Here
2023-2023 Pre-Arbitration
MJ Melendez signed a 1 year , $726,500 contract with the Kansas City Royals, including $726,500 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $726,500.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $726,500
Average Salary:
$726,500
Signing Bonus:
N/A
To see the rest of the MJ Melendez's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Already Subscribed? Login Here
2022-2022 Pre-Arbitration
MJ Melendez signed a 1 year , $700,000 contract with the Kansas City Royals, including $700,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $700,000.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $700,000
Average Salary:
$700,000
Signing Bonus:
N/A
To see the rest of the MJ Melendez's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Already Subscribed? Login Here
2017-2017 Signing Bonus
MJ Melendez signed a 1 year , $2,097,500 contract with the Kansas City Royals, including $2,097,500 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,097,500.
Contract Terms:
1 yr(s) / $2,097,500
Average Salary:
$2,097,500
Signing Bonus:
N/A
To see the rest of the MJ Melendez's contract breakdowns, & gain access to all of Spotrac's Premium tools, sign up today. Already Subscribed? Login Here
Seasons
2.153 Years
Career Earnings thru 2025
$4,182,572
Earnings w/ Different Teams
1 team
Earnings Per Year
| Year | Age | Team(s) | Status | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 18 |
|
Signing Bonus
|
$2,097,500 |
$2,097,500 |
|
| 2022 | 23 |
|
Active
|
$603,822 |
$2,701,322 |
|
| 2023 | 24 |
|
Active
|
$726,500 |
$3,427,822 |
|
| 2024 | 25 |
|
Active
|
$754,750 |
$4,182,572 |
|
| Total |
$4,182,572 |
$4,182,572 |
||||
| 2025 | 26 |
|
Active / estimate-arbitration
|
$2,360,000 |
||
| Total |
$6,542,572 |
Earnings Per Team
| Years | Team | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
|
$2,085,072 | $2,097,500 | - | $4,182,572 |
| Year | Team(s) | Age | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
|
18 |
$2,097,500 |
$2,097,500 |
$2,097,500 |
||
| 2022 |
|
23 |
$603,822
|
$603,822 |
$2,701,322 |
||
| 2023 |
|
24 |
$726,500
|
$726,500 |
$3,427,822 |
||
| 2024 |
|
25 |
$754,750
|
$754,750 |
$4,182,572 |
||
| Total |
$2,085,072 |
$2,097,500 |
$4,182,572 |
$4,182,572 |
|||
| 2025 |
|
26 |
$2,360,000
|
$2,360,000 |
|||
| Total |
$4,445,072 |
$2,097,500 |
$6,542,572 |
Earnings Per Team
| Years | Team | Base | Signing | Incentives | Cash Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
|
$2,085,072 | $2,097,500 | - | $4,182,572 |
Injuries
| Year | Dates | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |
KC |
Jul 15, 2024 - Jul 28, 2024 | Ankle |
-
Mar 01, 2024
Signed a 1 year $754,750 contract with Kansas City (KC)
-
Mar 01, 2023
Signed a 1 year $726,500 contract with Kansas City (KC)
-
May 02, 2022
Promoted from the Minors by Kansas City (KC)
-
Mar 28, 2022
Optioned to the Minors by Kansas City (KC)
-
Nov 19, 2021
Contract purchased by Kansas City (KC)
-
Jun 18, 2017
Signed a contract with Kansas City (KC)
-
Jun 15, 2017
Drafted by Kansas City (KC): Round 2 (#52 overall)
| Year | Team | GP | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | BB | K | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | KC | 135 | 118 | 450 | 412 | 44 | 85 | 23 | 3 | 17 | 44 | 165 | 35 | 113 | 4 | .206 | .273 | .400 | .673 | -0.88 |
| 2023 | KC | 148 | 141 | 602 | 533 | 65 | 125 | 29 | 5 | 16 | 56 | 212 | 62 | 170 | 6 | .235 | .316 | .398 | .714 | -0.35 |
| 2022 | KC | 129 | 124 | 533 | 460 | 57 | 100 | 21 | 3 | 18 | 62 | 181 | 66 | 131 | 2 | .217 | .313 | .393 | .706 | 0.48 |
Calculated Market Value
Market Value
- 5 years, $59,121,090
- Avg. Salary: $11,824,218
- MLB Rank: 134
- LF Rank: 8
Current Contract
- Free Agent: 2029
- Avg. Salary: $2,360,000
- MLB Rank: 332
- LF Rank: 17
Comparable Players
We've selected the following players based on their age, contract status, and statistical production to compare MJ Melendez to.
| Player | Length | Value | Avg. Salary | Age When Signed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Happ | 3 | $61,000,000 | $20,333,333 | 28 |
| Randy Arozarena | 1 | $8,100,000 | $8,100,000 | 28 |
| Alex Verdugo | 1 | $8,700,000 | $8,700,000 | 27 |
| Andrew Benintendi | 5 | $75,000,000 | $15,000,000 | 28 |
| Averages | 3 | $38,200,000 | $13,033,333 | 27.8 |
Base Calculated Value
After adjusting the above contracts as if signed at Melendez's current age (26), a linear regression is performed, providing us with the following initial value.
| Length | Value | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | $75,996,000 | $15,199,200 |
Statistical Comparisons
Now we'll compare our variables and Melendez statistically over the two seasons prior to their signing. In this case we're analyzing: GP%, H/Gm, RBI/Gm, K/Gm, AVG/Yr, OPS, WOBP, ISO, WAR
| Player | GP% | H/Gm | RBI/Gm | K/Gm | AVG/Yr | OPS | WOBP | ISO | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ian Happ
2022-2023
|
97.53 | 0.95 | 0.49 | 0.96 | 0.26 | 0.79 | 0.36 | 0.18 | 3.53 |
|
Randy Arozarena
2022-2023
|
93.54 | 0.97 | 0.57 | 1.03 | 0.26 | 0.78 | 0.36 | 0.18 | 3.11 |
|
Alex Verdugo
2022-2023
|
90.46 | 1.05 | 0.44 | 0.61 | 0.27 | 0.74 | 0.34 | 0.14 | 2.08 |
|
Andrew Benintendi
2021-2022
|
80.25 | 1.06 | 0.48 | 0.67 | 0.29 | 0.77 | 0.34 | 0.13 | 3.50 |
| Average | 90.45 | 1.01 | 0.50 | 0.82 | 0.27 | 0.77 | 0.35 | 0.16 | 3.06 |
|
MJ Melendez
2023-2024
|
87.08 | 0.74 | 0.35 | 1.00 | 0.22 | 0.69 | 0.32 | 0.18 | -0.76 |
| Pct Change | -3.73 | -26.73 | -30.00 | -21.95 | -18.52 | -10.00 | -9.71 | 12.50 | -124.84 |
| Median Prime % Change | -18.52% | ||||||||
| Average Prime % Change | -25.89% | ||||||||
Calculated Market Value: MJ Melendez
After applying our Prime % figures into our base calculated value, we're given two values. The average of these values becomes our current calculated market value.
| Terms | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|
| 5 years, $59,121,090 | $11,824,218 |
