The largest free-agent contracts in MLB history

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The largest free-agent contracts in MLB history

December 28th, 2024

David Adler

We've seen some massive free-agent deals signed in recent offseasons --

and Juan Soto just got the biggest of all.

Soto agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets on Sunday night. That broke Shohei Ohtani's record

for MLB's largest ever free-agent contract set in December 2023, when Ohtani signed a

 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers.

Between Soto, Ohtani and Aaron Judge, who signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees

in December 2022, the three largest free-agent contracts in MLB history have come in the last three offseasons.

Here are the 10 biggest free-agent contracts in MLB history, both by total value and average annual value.

(Note: These don't include contract extensions where the player didn't actually become a free agent,

like the 12-year, $426.5 million extension Mike Trout signed with the Angels on March 20, 2019.)

1. Juan Soto, Mets: 15 years, $765 million (2025-2039)

Just one year after Ohtani became MLB's first $700 million player, Soto surpassed him.

The Mets won the Soto sweepstakes -- outbidding their crosstown rivals, the Yankees -- with a record-setting

15-year, $765 million deal, per Feinsand. The Mets' offer just exceeded the Yankees' reported

16-year, $760 offer to Soto, and was enough to convince Soto to leave the Yankees for the Mets

after a superstar season for the Bronx Bombers in 2024.

Soto got his historic contract for good reason.

At just 26 years old, Soto is already a four-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, two-time MVP finalist and

a World Series champion. Entering his first season with the Mets, Soto has a career .285/.421/.532 slash line

and .953 OPS, and he's averaged 35 home runs and 102 RBIs per 162 games in his seven-year career.

Dec 9, 2024

1:38

All of Juan Soto's Citi Field home runs

2. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: 10 years, $700 million (2024-2033)

When Ohtani reached free agency after the 2023 season, heading toward his second AL MVP Award

in three years, it was a foregone conclusion that he would set a record for the largest contract in MLB history.

Many estimates had him approaching or exceeding $500 million and perhaps even challenging $600 million.

Even that turned out to be low. Ohtani's deal nearly doubled the previous record for total guaranteed dollars

on a new contract (though it is worth noting that Ohtani’s deal included unprecedented deferrals).

Signing Ohtani paid off immediately. In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani became the first player

in MLB history with a 50-home run, 50-stolen base season, won his third career MVP Award

and led Los Angeles to a World Series championship.

3. Aaron Judge, Yankees: 9 years, $360 million (2023-31)

Judge bet on himself when he declined the Yankees’ $213.5 million extension offer shortly

before Opening Day in 2022, and it paid off in a big way.

The 6-foot-7 outfielder had arguably the greatest free-agent walk year of all time, winning the AL MVP Award

after setting an AL record with 62 homers and flirting with the Triple Crown. Despite serious overtures

from the hometown Giants, Judge opted to return to the Yankees.

He won a second MVP Award in 2024 with a 58-home run season.

Nov 22, 2024

0:30

Aaron Judge is named 2024 AL MVP

4. Bryce Harper, Phillies: 13 years, $330 million (2019-31)

Harper's impending free agency defined his final season with the Nationals and dominated headlines

all the way into the second week of Spring Training games, and a number of factors collaborated along the way

to get Bryce to the top of this list.

At the time, his deal was the largest free-agent contract in the history of the four major North American

professional sports. Harper won his second career National League MVP Award in 2021

and led the Phillies to a World Series appearance in 2022, earning NLCS MVP honors along the way.

Nov 19, 2021

0:30

2021 NL MVP: Bryce Harper

5. (tie) Corey Seager, Rangers: 10 years, $325 million (2022-31)

Seager earned his historic deal on the heels of slashing .306/.394/.521 with 16 home runs,

57 RBIs and a .915 OPS in 95 games for the Dodgers in 2021.

That came one year after finishing ninth in 2020 National League MVP voting and earning MVP honors

in both the NLCS and World Series en route to Los Angeles' title run. Along with his pair of postseason MVP

Awards, Seager was also the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year and he was a two-time All-Star before signing his

historic deal at the age of 27. Seager helped the Rangers win their first World Series championship in 2023.

Oct 28, 2023

0:29

Seager's homer ties Game 1

5. (tie) Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers: 12 years, $325 million

In part because of the historic deferrals in Shohei Ohtani's contract, the Dodgers were able to land the biggest

pitching prize on the 2023 free-agent market as well. Yamamoto's $325 million deal represents the most

guaranteed dollars ever given to a pitcher, though the average annual value of his deal is below Gerrit Cole's,

the next entry on this list.

Oct 27, 2024

1:32

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's stellar start in Game 2

7. Gerrit Cole, Yankees: 9 years, $324 million (2020-28)

Cole’s deal set a record for pitchers (before Yamamoto passed him) and was the second $300-plus million

contract given to a former No. 1 overall Draft pick, along with Harper's.

Cole was taken first overall by the Pirates in 2011, while Harper was the first overall pick by the Nation

in 2010. Cole won his first career Cy Young Award with the Yankees in 2023.

Nov 16, 2023

0:30

Gerrit Cole named AL Cy Young

8. (tie) Manny Machado, Padres: 10 years, $300 million (2019-28)

Machado holds the distinction as being the first $300 million free agent in MLB history with the deal he inked

with San Diego. An elite offense/defense two-way player, Machado finished among the top three in the NL MVP

race twice over his first four seasons with San Diego and led the club to a 2022 NLCS appearance.

Oct 6, 2024

0:28

Manny Machado's two-run homer

8. (tie) Trea Turner, Phillies: 11 years, $300 million (2023-33)

On the heels of a World Series appearance in 2022, the Phillies reeled in another big free-agent fish

and filled their hole at shortstop by striking a $300 million deal with Turner, reuniting the speedster

with his good friend and former Nationals teammate, Harper.

It marked the second straight offseason the Dodgers saw a shortstop leave their team in free agency

for a contract worth at least $300 million with another club, as Turner followed Seager out the door.

A two-time All-Star and 2019 World Series champion with the Nats, Turner hit .298 with 21 homers

and 27 steals for the Dodgers in 2022.

Oct 12, 2023

0:28

Trea Turner's solo jack

10. Xander Bogaerts, Padres: 11 years, $280 million (2023-33)

Signed by the Red Sox as a 16-year-old out of Aruba, Bogaerts had some uneven years early in his career

before breaking out in 2018, kicking off a five-year run in which he slashed .301/.373/.508 with 105 homers,

racked up 23.3 WAR (per Baseball Reference) and earned three All-Star selections.

He left the Red Sox after the 2022 campaign to sign a megadeal with the Padres.

Oct 7, 2024

0:28

Xander Bogaerts' solo home run 

Total value isn't the only way to look at player contracts, as the length of the deal also matters.

Here's a list of the biggest MLB free-agent contracts by the amount they were worth per year.

Top 10 free-agent contracts by average annual value (1년 평균 연봉순위)

1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers: $70 million (2024-33)

2. Juan Soto, Mets: $51 million (2025-39)

3-T. Max Scherzer, Mets: $43,333,333 (2022-24)

3-T. Justin Verlander, Mets: $43,333,333 (2023-24)

5. Aaron Judge, Yankees: $40 million (2023-31)

6. Jacob deGrom, Rangers: $37 million (2023-27)

7. Blake Snell, Dodgers: $36.4 million (2025-29)

8. Gerrit Cole, Yankees: $36 million (2020-28)

9-T. Corbin Burnes, D-backs: $35 million (2025-30) (source)

9-T. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: $35 million (2020-26)

9-T. Anthony Rendon, Angels: $35 million (2020-26)