What are the 10 biggest contracts in MLB history?

Opening day of the 2025 MLB season isn’t until March 18th, with the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the Chicago Cubs in Japan, but spring training is already in full swing.

The Dodgers made a splash this offseason, signing Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki just one season after signing both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to deals that rank as some of the biggest in league history.

Exactly where do those deals rank all-time, and how does Juan Soto‘s new deal with the New York Mets fit into the equation?

Let’s take a look at the 10 largest contracts in MLB history in terms of total dollar amount, based on Spotrac data.

Top 10 biggest contracts in MLB history

Yamamoto signed the largest contract by any pitcher in MLB history, narrowly eclipsing Gerrit Cole‘s nine-year, $324 million pact with the Yankees. At 25 years old, he was posted by the Orix Buffaloes (Nippon Professional Baseball) last winter following one of the most dominant stretches in Japanese baseball history. He was a three-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player and has a lifetime ERA of 1.82.

Stat line after deal (2024): 7-2, 90 IP, 3.00 ERA, 105 K, 1.111 WHIP

In 2014, Stanton capitalized on his stardom by signing the then-richest deal in MLB history. That deal expires after the 2027 season. Stanton was traded to the Yankees just three seasons after he signed the monster extension. He was named the 2022 All-Star Game MVP and 2017 National League MVP, earned Silver Slugger honors in 2017 and made three more All-Star Game appearances since his extension.

Stat line after extension (2015): .249/.334/.516/, 275 HRs, 704 RBIs, 131 OPS+

Seager had become a playoff hero even before signing with the Rangers prior to the 2022 season. The shortstop’s deal — which now looks like it was very much worth it — ends in 2031, when he will be 37. Since his extension, he has been a three-time All-Star and put up a stellar 2023 season — finishing as the American League MVP runner-up that season, being named a Silver Slugger and taking home the World Series MVP.

Stat line after deal (2022): .280/.350/.524, 96 HRs, 253 RBIs, 143 OPS+

After playing with the Nationals for his whole career, Harper left for the division-rival Phillies in 2019. His 13-year deal is the longest given to a free agent and was the largest in MLB history at the time it was signed. Since his extension, he won the 2021 NL MVP, 2022 NLCS MVP, made the All-Star team twice and earned Silver Slugger honors three times.

Stat line after deal (2019): .285/.391/.533/, 152 HRs, 455 RBIs, 149 OPS+

Tatis inked his contract when he was just 22 years old in 2021. The deal, which is far from the only long-term commitment on San Diego’s books, will take him through the 2034 season, at which point he will be 35. Since his extension, he has made the All-Star team twice and has been awarded one Gold Glove and one Silver Slugger award.

Stat line after extension (2021): .271/.341/.514/, 88 HRs, 224 RBIs, 65 SBs 134 OPS+

Lindor was the face of the Cleveland franchise but was traded and agreed to an extension with the Mets in 2021. The deal is through the 2031 season, but his contract is set up with $50 million in deferred money due to him in $5 million annual payments from 2032 to 2041. Since his extension, he has been named the 2024 NL MVP runner-up and also won two Silver Slugger awards.

Stat line after extension (2021): .259/.336/.461/, 110 HRs, 359 RBIs, 86 SBs 122 OPS+

After signing a 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres in 2019 free agency, Machado re-upped with San Diego for a jaw-dropping $350 million. Machado will be 43 years old by the time the last year of the deal arrives. He has been named a Silver Slugger one time since his extension.

Stat line after extension (2023): .267/.322/.467/, 59 HRs, 196 RBIs, 116 OPS+

Before 2022, Judge bet on himself. Then the slugger made history and slugged an AL-record 62 homers and secured his $360 million deal. The deal will take him through the 2031 season, at which point he’ll be 39. Since his extension, he won the 2024 AL MVP, made the All-Star team twice and recorded the highest OPS+ by a right-handed hitter in MLB history in 2024 (223).

Stat line after deal (2023): .300/.438/.666/, 95 HRs, 219 RBIs, 204 OPS+

After being traded from the Red Sox in 2020, Betts signed a 12-year extension with an MLB-record $65 million signing bonus. Betts helped deliver a World Series title that very year. Since his extension, he has been named to the All-Star three times, won a Gold Glove in 2022, was named a Silver Slugger twice and finished in the top five of MVP voting twice.

Stat line after extension (2021): .288/.373/.527/, 116 HRs, 322 RBIs, 145 OPS+

Trout signed this deal in 2019, and it extends through the 2030 season, at which point he’ll be 39. He’s missed 417 out of a possible 870 games due to injuries, but since his extension, he has still amassed four All-Star selections, won the 2019 AL MVP and was named a Silver Slugger twice.

Stat line after extension (2019): .281/.397/.598/.995, 138 HRs, 306 RBIs, 168 OPS+

After spending the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Angels, Ohtani signed a record-breaking contract in 2023 to remain in Southern California and play for the Dodgers. The deal, which includes $680 million deferred, will end after Ohtani turns 39. He’s one of just nine players in MLB history with multiple 40-HR and 20-SB seasons, has won three unanimous MVP awards (only player to win unanimously multiple times) and was the only AL pitcher in 2022 with at least 130 innings pitched to hold opponents to a batting average under .200.

Prior to Ohtani, the most homers hit by a player with 10 or more wins as a pitcher was 11 by Babe Ruth in 1918. Ohtani hit 46 in 2021, 34 in 2022 and 44 in 2023.

Stat line after deal (2024): .310/.390/.646/, 54 HRs, 130 RBIs, 99 XBH, 59 SBs
Career pitching line (did not pitch in 2024): 38-19, 481.2 IP, 3.01 ERA, 608 K, 1.082 WHIP

Soto’s 15-year deal topped Tatis’ 14-year extension as the longest in MLB history, as well as the largest, topping Ohtani’s. A five-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star, Soto will be 40 years old when the deal is complete.

Soto, the 2020 batting champion, boasts three top-five finishes in MVP voting and. He has led the league in walks three times, in on-base percentage twice and in slugging and OPS once.

Career stats: .285/.421/.532, 201 HRs, 592 RBIs, 769 BBs, 395 XBH, 160 OPS+

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