Wander Franco's Net Worth Could Be Wandering Away From Him if He Gets a Hefty Prison Sentence

Dominican baseball player Wander Franco was still a teenager when Major League Baseball set its eyes on him. In July 2017 at the age of 17, he was signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization where he played for their minor league team. When he got called up in 2021, Franco was the second youngest player to debut for the Rays.

"There are not many players that I’ve come across in my career that hit like Wander Franco, especially at a young age," Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics told the Tampa Bay Times in March 2019. "He just has the ability to hit a baseball. It’s special."

That ability helped Franco excel for three seasons until legal issues cost him his job and possibly his career. Let's take a look at the young ball player's net worth.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Franco earned $6 million in 2022 and $2 million for the 2023 season. Because his contract was backloaded, he would make roughly $25 million starting in 2028. Five months after Franco's debut in 2021, the Rays offered him a contract extension that spanned 11 seasons, which was worth $182 million. There was an option to bump this up to $223 million over 12 seasons if Franco continued to get better and snagged a spot at an All-Star game.

In August 2023, Franco was put on administrative leave while he was under investigation for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a minor, per the Associated Press. He was still paid his $2 million salary and will get $706,761 as part of "MLB’s pre-arbitration bonus pool, a fund agreed to by the league and players’ association as part of their 2022 labor contract."

In June 2025, Franco was in court in the Dominican Republic, where prosecutors argued that he transferred $17,000 to the mother of a 14-year-old girl, per the Associated Press. This transfer allegedly occurred on Jan. 5, 2023, and was done in order to provide Franco with the opportunity to abuse the teenager.

When authorities raided the woman's home, they also found $68,500 and $35,000 in cash that police believe was sent by Franco.

"We are requesting a five-year prison sentence for the proven crime of sexual abuse against a minor," said prosecutor José Martínez in court. They have also requested that the victim's mother be sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly trafficking her daughter.

Franco has also been charged with illegal possession of a gun, reports The New York Times. On Nov. 10, 2024, Franco was arrested following a brawl in a San Juan de la Maguana parking lot.

When authorities searched his car, they found a Glock 19. One of Franco's attorneys was quick to point out that the gun was legal and registered in their client's name.