- Shohei Ohtani has the largest contract in MLB history.
- Fifteen players have signed deals worth $300 million or more.
- The Dodgers, Padres, Phillies, and Yankees have handed out multiple deals north of $300 million.
The highest-paid baseball players have invariably been ranked among the MVP and Cy Young favourites in MLB odds at their respective peaks.
Below, I have ranked the players with the largest contract values in MLB history.
Highest-Paid Baseball Players In MLB History
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Total Salary |
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | Pitcher/DH | Los Angeles Dodgers | $700 million |
| 2 | Mike Trout | Outfielder | Los Angeles Angels | $426.5 million |
| 3 | Mookie Betts | Outfielder | Los Angeles Dodgers | $365 million |
| 4 | Aaron Judge | Outfielder | New York Yankees | $360 million |
| 5 | Manny Machado | Third Baseman | San Diego Padres | $350 million |
| 6 | Francisco Lindor | Shortstop | New York Mets | $341 million |
| 7 | Fernando Tatis Jr. | Outfielder | San Diego Padres | $340 million |
| 8 | Bryce Harper | Outfielder/First Baseman | Philadelphia Phillies | $330 million |
| T-9 | Corey Seager | Shortstop | Texas Rangers | $325 million |
| T-9 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Pitcher | Los Angeles Dodgers | $325 million |
| T-9 | Giancarlo Stanton | Outfielder/DH | Miami Marlins | $325 million |
| 12 | Gerrit Cole | Pitcher | New York Yankees | $324 million |
| 13 | Rafael Devers | Third Baseman | Boston Red Sox | $313.5 million |
| T-14 | Manny Machado | Third Baseman | San Diego Padres | $300 million |
| T-14 | Trea Turner | Infielder | Philadelphia Phillies | $300 million |
| 16 | Bobby Witt Jr. | Shortstop | Kansas City Royals | $288.8 million |
| 17 | Xander Bogaerts | Infielder | San Diego Padres | $280 million |
| 18 | Alex Rodriguez | Third Baseman | New York Yankees | $275 million |
| 19 | Nolan Arenado | Third Baseman | Colorado Rockies | $260 million |
| 20 | Alex Rodriguez | Shortstop | Texas Rangers | $252 million |
Shohei Ohtani is the highest-paid baseball player in MLB history after signing a $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ohtani’s deal is the largest across all sports, with a bigger guaranteed salary than Lionel Messi’s record-setting contract with Barcelona.
A two-way player and perennial MVP favourite in baseball odds, Ohtani was always going to get a historically large deal in free agency. For a period, it looked possible he could break the $1 billion threshold.
Shohei Ohtani absolutely punished this baseball 😳 #NLCS pic.twitter.com/0iX4xv4DHb
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2024
An injury to his pitching elbow during the 2023 season led to a slightly smaller contract than I expected. Ohtani still received by far the largest deal in baseball history, far exceeding the pact Mike Trout signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019.
Manny Machado appearing twice is an interesting quirk of this top 20. Machado’s first deal was signed with the San Diego Padres in 2019, which was the largest free-agent contract in history at the time.
With salaries soaring around the majors, Machado tumbled down the list. He was even overtaken by fellow Padre Fernando Tatis Jr. When preliminary contract extension talks broke down, Machado made it clear he would opt out of the final few years of his previous contract. He then signed an 11-year, $350 million deal in 2023 to stay in San Diego.
Interestingly, nine of the 20 contracts listed above were signed as extensions. Alex Rodriguez and Aaron Judge made it to free agency before penning their mega contracts to remain with the New York Yankees.
Most of these deals are in their infancy. Some will be overpaid, while others have already reaped rewards for their respective franchises.
Each of the players featured will rank among the leaders in career earnings by the time their deals come to an end, but many of these contracts will be surpassed by the next generation of stars.
It’s worth noting that four of the top seven in total career earnings are pitchers, despite Gerrit Cole being the only one featured in this list.
Pitchers tend to be offered shorter contracts, but some can receive high average annual values deep into their careers.
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