It only took one year for Juan Soto to set a new record for the largest contract in sports history. No one knows how long it will be before his deal with the Mets is up.
Soto’s 15-year, $765 million deal didn’t even include deferred money, making him worth about $300 million more than Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal with the Dodgers.
Over the years, athletes’ salaries have skyrocketed amid multimillion-dollar television deals. In 1979, Nolan Ryan became the first professional athlete to earn $1 million per season when he signed with the Astros. Now, dozens of NFL players earn more than $1 million per game, while the NBA’s highest-paid players approach that figure for a day’s work.
But the largest overall contract values primarily belong to baseball players. Soto became the 17th player in the four North American professional sports leagues to have a deal worth at least $300 million; 15 of them are in the MLB. Interestingly, all of the players who signed a $300 million contract are still active.
Here is the complete list.
(Note: These values are based on data from Spotrac.com)
1. juan soto: 15 years, 765 million dollars, New York Mets
- The contract reportedly has escalators that bring the value to more than $800 million.
- Its average annual value of $51 million is tied for 25th among the four major sports leagues.
2. Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, 700 million dollars, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Its average annual value of $70 million is the largest among the four major sports leagues.
- $680 million of the contract is deferred, with annual payments of $68 million beginning in 2034, reducing the current value of the deal to $460,814,760.
3. Patrick Mahomes: 10 years, 450 million dollars, Kansas City Chiefs
- Mahomes has restructured his contract on multiple occasions. Restructured in 2023 to receive $208.1 million between the 2023 and 2026 seasons. Restructured again during the 2024 offseason to help the team create cap space.
4. mike trout: 12 years, 426.5 million dollars, Los Angeles Angels
- The contract was the largest in the history of North American sports at the time of its signing in March 2019.
- His average annual value of $35.4 is currently tied for the eighth-highest in baseball.
5. Mookie Betting: 12 years, 365 million dollars, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Betts agreed to the extension just months after being traded to the Dodgers in 2020.
- His average annual value of $30.4 million is the 16th highest in the league.
6. Aaron judge: 9 years, 360 million dollars, New York Yankees
- Judge’s nine-year contract is the largest in Yankees history, turning down larger offers during the 2022-23 offseason.
- His average annual value of $40 million is the fourth highest in MLB.
7. Manny Machado: 11 years, 350 million dollars, San Diego Padres
- Machado agreed to the extension in February 2023, four years after signing a 10-year, $300 million contract to join the organization.
- His average annual value of $31.8 million is the 14th highest in the majors.
8. Francisco Lindor: 10 years, 341 million dollars, New York Mets
- Lindor agreed to the extension less than three months after being traded to the Mets in 2021.
- His average annual value of $34.1 million is the 10th highest in MLB.
9. Fernando Tatís Jr. : 14 years, 340 million dollars, San Diego Padres
- Tatis agreed to the extension before the 2021 season following his second year in the league, making it the third-largest contract in MLB history at the time.
- His average annual value of $24.3 million is the 40th highest in MLB.
10. Bryce Harper: 13 years, 330 million dollars, Philadelphia Phillies
- Harper’s contract was the largest in MLB history when he was signed as a free agent in March 2019, holding that record for just a few weeks.
- His average annual value of $25.4 million is the 30th highest in MLB.
T11. Giancarlo Stanton: 13 years, 325 million dollars, New York Yankees
- Stanton signed the extension while with the Miami Marlins following his 37-home run season in 2014, making him the highest-paid player in baseball at the time.
- His average annual value of $25 million is tied for the 33rd highest in baseball.
T11. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 12 years, 325 million dollars, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Yamamoto’s contract is the largest ever for an MLB pitcher, breaking the previous record by $1 million.
- His average annual value of $27.1 million is the 20th highest in MLB.
T11. Corey Seager: 10 years, 325 million dollars, Texas Rangers
- Seager’s contract is the largest ever for a shortstop in free agency.
- His average annual value of $32.5 million is tied for 12th highest in MLB.
14. Gerrit Cole: 9 years, 324 million dollars, New York Yankees
- Cole’s contract was the largest ever signed for an MLB pitcher at the time of signing in December 2019.
- His average annual value of $36 million was also the highest in MLB at the time of the deal. He currently ranks seventh in baseball.
15. Jayson Tatum: 5 years, 313.9 million dollars, boston celts
- Tatum’s extension, which he signed in July 2024, is the largest contract in NBA history.
- His average annual value of $62.8 million is the third highest among the four major professional leagues.
16. Rafael Devers: 10 years, $313.5 million, Boston Red Sox
- Devers’ extension, which he signed in January 2023, is the largest contract in Red Sox history.
- His average annual value of $31.4 million is the 15th highest in MLB.
17. Teresa Turner: 11 years, 300 million dollars, Philadelphia Phillies
- Turner’s extension made the Phillies the first team to sign two players from other teams to $300 million deals in free agency.
- His average annual value of $27.3 million is the 17th highest in MLB.
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