Aaron Judge is one of the most talented and recognizable players in baseball. A larger-than-life outfielder with a toothy grin and a devastating swing, Judge was the American League rookie of the year and the runner-up in most valuable player voting in 2017, and his was the best-selling jersey in Major League Baseball in each of the last two seasons.

He is playing for the most valuable team in a sport that paid out a waterfall of big contracts this off-season: Bryce Harper and Manny Machado signed free-agent contracts worth a combined $630 million, and teams committed $1.75 billion in contract extensions, including an eye-popping $360 million in new money over 10 years to Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.

Judge’s cut for the 2019 season, which gets into full swing on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles? A hair above $684,000.

Few would quibble with that salary, which is 11 times higher than the median household income in the United States in 2017. But in a sport that took in about $10 billion in revenue last year, complex questions about its economic structure are emerging amid rising tension between team owners and the players’ union: As teams increasingly rely more on younger, cheaper players and shift their free-agency priorities, can young stars like Judge expect to earn what their predecessors did? And even more, why aren’t players earning the most money during their most productive ages?