SI: The 50 highest-earning athletes

When welterweight Floyd Mayweather was No. 1 on Sports Illustrated’s Fortunate 50 last year—knocking out Tiger Woods, who had been No. 1 every year since SI started producing the list in 2004—it looked like a fluke, the result of the $85 million he received for his fights with Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto. Now Mayweather is proving that he belongs at the top. From just two bouts this year, one earlier this month and the other scheduled for September, he will earn at least $90 million, and that’s conservative; he could make as much as $128 million.

There are other notable shifts this year. LeBron James (No. 2) passed Kobe Bryant (No. 4). Tiger Woods (No. 5) is back above Phil Mickelson (No. 6)—thanks to $4 million more in tour winnings. Drew Brees wasn’t on last year’s list but he burst into the top five thanks to a $37 million signing bonus from his new contract.

The findings consist solely of salary, winnings, bonuses and endorsements. SI consulted players’ associations, tour records, online databases, agents and media reports. The endorsement estimates come from a stable of marketing executives, agents and other experts, including Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing.

Candidates for the Fortunate 50 must be U.S. citizens or play in a U.S.—based league.

1. Floyd Mayweather (boxing)
2. LeBron James (NBA)
3. Drew Brees (NFL)
4. Kobe Bryant (NBA)
5. Tiger Woods (golf)

MLB:
9. Alex Rodriguez
10.Zack Greinke
13.Johan Santana
14.Felix Hernandez
17.Cliff Lee
19.Derek Jeter
20.Joe Mauer

Brisbee: Vernon Wells and redoing the Yankees’ offseason

Wells’ Time Machine...

let’s look at the money the Yankees spent in the offseason, and see if hindsight might improve what the Yankees did. There are just a couple of ground rules:

• I’m not going to contemplate what they could have done with the salaries of Mariano Rivera and Robinson Cano, because neither of them were going anywhere.

• I won’t search for a first baseman, as the Mark Teixeira injury came relatively late in the offseason. Same goes with the [Curtis] Granderson injury and looking for another starting outfielder. That’s a little too much hindsight.

Excluding the Rivera/Cano salaries, the Yankees committed $83.5 million this offseason… [Hiroki] Kuroda and [Andy] Pettitte were probably the best options, and there’s no point in seeing what else the Yankees could have done with the money.. [Kevin] Youkilis is an overpay, most likely, but he was just about the only option for a team looking for a starting third baseman… and I think the [Travis] Hafner deal was a decent gamble, too, so he stays…

there are three [offseason acquisitions] left, and they’re all outfielders. Ichiro, [Vernon] Wells, and [Brennan] Boesch will combine to make just under $28 million over the next two years. Let’s look at a couple of combinations that might have been more appealing than that waking nightmare of a potential outfield:

Torii Hunter ($26 million)... Cody Ross, Nate Schierholtz, and Geovany Soto ($29 million)... Scott Hairston, Eric Chavez, Maicer Izturis, and A.J. Pierzynski ($25.5 million)... Russell Martin and Ichiro ($30 million)... Ichiro, Juan Pierre, Yorvit Torrealba, and, hell, I don’t know, Rick Ankiel, with the rest of the money going into a slush fund for one heckuva holiday party ($15 million)... Ichiro, Delmon Young, Cody Ransom, and Miguel Olivo (converted to 3B for the hell of it) ($15 million or so)... Danny Murphy, Donnie Murphy, David Murphy (trade), and Dale Murphy ($7 million and prospects)... Ichiro and a Free Cockapoo Puppy at the Park promotion (first 25,000) ($26 million)

.... here’s the main point: If there was $13 million to spend on an emergency Vernon Wells, how was there not enough money to sign a catcher?... the decision to spend on Wells, even if prompted by injuries, means that they had a little wiggle room in the payroll the whole time. The didn’t spend it on a catcher. They didn’t spend it on an outfielder who was a better bet than Ichiro. They spent it on Vernon Wells…

You can’t blame the Yankees for the fastball that broke Granderson or the unexpected aches of Teixeira. Apart from that spate of bad luck, the offseason was prudent and calculated for the Yanks. Until we found out there was a slush fund for emergencies, that is. Now that we know that—and how they used it—we can wonder openly what the Yankees were thinking.

Vernon Wells plans to retire at 35 after 2014 season

When Vernon Wells’ seven-year, $126 million contract comes to an end in two years, so will his baseball career. The Angels outfielder, owed $42 million over the next two seasons, plans to retire at the end of 2014, even though he’ll be only 35.

He’s got two good reasons: One is 10, the other is 7, and both are boys.

“My kids,” Wells said Monday morning. “It’ll be time to invest more in their lives. I’ve gone through this for long enough. My thoughts right now as a family is to be done after two years, enjoy them, get to be there for them in those years where they’re going to need their dad every day, not just every now and then.”

Wells still loves the game, but is eager to return to his home in Southlake, Texas, long-term so he can be a full-time father.

He also has an interesting career route he’s eager to pursue: ownership.

Wells, who will end up grossing close to $150 million as a ballplayer, wants to own a Major League team someday. In fact, the plan is to partner with former Angels outfielder Torii Hunter.

Worked out for Roger Dorn. Why not?