The Mets just signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, which is the biggest in baseball history. So, who else has the largest contracts ever in MLB?

Last year, Shohei Ohtani blew the world of baseball away when he signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a contract nearly double as big as the next largest contract in MLB history, and a lot of fans thought it wouldn’t be surpassed for years. That didn’t end up being the case, though, as Juan Soto proved that “baseball money” truly is something special.

Soto just surpassed Ohtani for the largest contract in MLB history with a $765 million deal over 15 years. The historic contract was handed out by the New York Mets, the cross-town rivals of Soto’s last team (New York Yankees). The deal also comes after Soto’s Yankees squared off and lost in the World Series against their biggest rival, the Ohtani-led Dodgers. While Soto and Ohtani are now in a world of their own, it is still worth looking at the other largest contract in MLB history.

1. Juan Soto: $765 million

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During the start of the 2024 offseason and the months leading up to it, Juan Soto’s free agency was at the top of baseball discussions. After moving on from the Washington Nationals to the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees, it appeared that Soto found a home in New York.

Soto proved to be one of the best players in baseball last season, as he ranked fourth in home runs (41), second in walks (129), and sixth in RBIs (109) en route to leading the Yankees to a World Series appearance. Soto was actually only the second best player on his team, though, as Aaron Judge brought home AL MVP honors. New York proved to be Soto’s long-term home, but he jumped ship from the Yankees to sign his new mega-deal with the Mets.

Now, Soto can stay in the public eye playing for a New York team, but he can go on a quest to become the best Mets player of all time. While the outfielder will be playing for his fourth MLB team, he is still only 26 years old and has plenty of great years left. He will be over 40 years old by the time this record-breaking contract ends, but the Mets are optimistic that his great vision and plate awareness will give him an extended career.

2. Shohei Ohtani: $700 million

Shohei Ohtani’s free agency in 2023 was arguably the most famous in MLB history. The two-way superstar was so coveted because of his ability to play both ways. As a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani had a case as arguably the best pitcher and the best hitter in baseball, and that two-way dominance was something we hadn’t seen in a century-plus.

It was widely assumed that Ohtani would get a contract north of $500 million, and one that could even push $600 million, but the $700 dollar deal he received from the other team in Los Angeles was more than anybody could have guessed. Considering Ohtani’s deal is a 10-year contract in comparison to Soto’s 15 years, the Dodgers star has an average annual value greater than Soto. His deal is also unique because of the deferrals in his contract that will see him payed out years down the road.

The deal paid off right away from the Dodgers. Ohtani led them to a World Series victory after becoming the first player ever with 50 home runs and 50 steals in a season. He didn’t even pitch in his first season with the team, either, so his value should only go up from here for Los Angeles.

3. Mike Trout: $426.5 million

The biggest deal in MLB history before Shohei Ohtani belonged to his former teammate. Mike Trout was the near-consensus best player in baseball for nearly a decade before the arrival of Shohei Ohtani. Trout signed his deal for 12 years, $426.5 million, starting back in the 2019 season.

In the better part of the decade prior, Trout had been an All-Star in each of his seven full seasons in MLB. He led the AL in WAR five times, MLB four times, won two MVP awards, finished in the top four in MVP voting every year, and only finished outside the top two once. To the chagrin of many baseball fans, Trout hitched his wagon to the Angels for the rest of his foreseeable career signing this deal.

While there was hope they might be able to become a real team with the addition of Ohtani, the front office still struggled to make a competent team around the two best players in baseball. Trout won his third MVP in the first year of his deal but has struggled with various injuries in many of the seasons since. At least Trout and Ohtani gave birth to one of the best sports memes ever. Long live Tungsten Arm O’Doyle and the Akron Groomsmen:

4. Mookie Betts: $365 million

Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers are to thank (blame?) for two of the four largest contracts in MLB history. Back in February 2020, when Betts was in his last year of team control for the Boston Red Sox, they traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Betts signed his 12-year $365 million extension a few months later in July. Betts had been one of the best players in all of baseball with the Red Sox and wanted to be there for a long time.

The Red Sox were concerned about his impending Free Agency, trying to cut their payroll, and had several extension offers rejected. So they traded Betts for an underwhelming return. Betts continued his high-level play, and the Red Sox haven’t really recovered since.

As a Dodger, Betts won the 2020 World Series, has four All-Star game appearances, three Silver Slugger and a Golden Glove, and three top-five MVP finishes. In the four seasons since Betts’ departure, the Red Sox have made the playoffs once. In 2021, they made it to the ALCS. But in every other season since they traded Betts before this year, they finished last in the AL East. Not exactly a successful move, even if the Dodgers had to make Betts the third-highest-paid player in MLB history to keep him.

5. Aaron Judge: $360 million

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If you put together the greatest offensive season since the height of the steroid era, you’re going to get paid. And when you do it in a contract year, you’ll also set a record for the most money given to a free agent in baseball history. (Obviously, that number now also belongs to Ohtani). Judge’s 2022 was absolutely transcendent. He broke Roger Maris’ AL home run record with 62 home runs. He blew a fully realized two-way Shohei Ohtani season out of the water. And he finished that year leading nearly every major batting stat in the MLB.

And for his services, the New York Yankees re-signed a free agent Judge to a nine-year $360 million deal. Judge backed up his otherworldly 2022 with a very good 2023 campaign and is off to a good start on his new deal. He again won the MVP in 2024 with yet another historic season.

In every deal on this list, teams throw a lot of money at players for a long time. Judge’s deal is, of course, no exception. Like many of his well-paid peers, he will be 39 when his deal ends, asking a lot of questions of his (and everyone else’s) ability to play elite baseball well past the standard athletic prime.

6. Manny Machado: $350 million

Even in the wild scale of time and money that these modern superstar deals represent, Manny Machado’s 11-year $350 million deal with the San Diego Padres is an exception. Machado’s deal will end when he is 41, meaning that there is an extremely high chance Machado will end up as a dead weight for the Padres or whoever ends up with him in the mid-2030s. You know, old man Albert Pujols style. Machado started his career in Baltimore with the Orioles. After a brief stint in Los Angeles as a Dodger rental, he signed with the Padres as a free agent. He then extended his deal in February for 11 years and $350 million.

Machado has been very good during his time in San Diego. High MVP finishes, a multi-time All-Star, and the Padres locked down one of the cornerstones of their franchises. They reloaded with the idea of a core of Machado, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Obviously, that didn’t pan out last year, as Tatis was suspended for PED use, and the Padres never got going. Now Soto is long gone and with a massive deal of his own.

7. Francisco Lindor: $341 million

Francisco Lindor signed his ten-year $341 million extension in the spring of 2022 which will last until 2033. The New York Mets will have a long time to make something work with Lindor. The 2023 season wasn’t exactly what the Mets were hoping for. They spent big, and they had to sell some of the biggest parts of their planned core in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadlines. Lindor was still very good last year, finishing ninth in MVP voting despite the Mets’ disappointment. He will “only” be under contract until 37, so in theory, it may not become as “bad” of a contract towards the end.

Now, after an improved season, the Mets will add Juan Soto to their forces to team up with Lindor in a hope that the team can compete for years to come. Lindor was excellent during the beginning of his career in Cleveland and then was shipped out in early 2021 as Cleveland began to rebuild. He was coming off a career-worst year in the 2020 shortened season, and it took a bit to get going, but it has been very good for the Mets since.

8. Fernando Tatis Jr.: $340 million

The second Padre on this list is Fernando Tatis Jr., but unlike his teammate Manny Machado, Tatis signed a new contract with the team that first gave him a shot in the majors. Tatis one of the most electrifying players in baseball. His speed/power combination is unmatched, and he has a habit of making highlight plays.

It hasn’t been all pretty post-new contract for Tatis and the Padres, though. The former shortstop has seen a position change that has him in the outfield now, and Tatis has missed way too much time. An injury from a motorcycle accident, as well as an 80-game PED suspension, made some question if it was a mistake to give Tatis all of that money, but the two-time All-Star has seemingly gotten back on track.

9. Bryce Harper: $330 million

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Bryce Harper has been in the limelight since his amateur days. He built himself up from being one of the most anticipated prospects ever to one of the highest-paid MLB players ever. The former Washington Nationals outfielder now makes his money as a first basemen with the Philadelphia Phillies.

When Harper signed a $330 million deal over 13 years back in 2019, it was the largest deal for an external free agent across all four major professional sports in the United States. Harper is now an eight-time All-Star, two-time MVP, and four-time Silver Slugger. He plays the game with passion and is one of the most influential MLB players of recent memory.

T10. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: $325 million

Shohei Ohtani wasn’t the only Japaneese superstar to sign with the Dodgers in 2023. That offseason, Los Angeles gave out over a billion in contracts as they tried to prove that money is just a number. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who made a name for himself pitching in the NPB, signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers last offseason.

It was a deal that actually surpassed Ohtani’s contract in terms of total years. The contract was able to happen because of the deferrals in Ohtani’s deal. It was also the most guarantees in a contract ever for a pitcher. While Yamamoto wasn’t as dominant as expected in his first year in MLB, he still helped the Dodgers win the World Series. The Dodgers’ spending-spree is probably far from over, too, as they seemingly have an endless amount of cash to hand out to whatever big-name superstar they so choose.

T10. Giancarlo Stanton: $325 million

Like the Dodgers, the Yankees also have a lot of money. The team was outbid for Soto’s services, but they still have claim to two of the biggest contracts ever. Giancarlo Stanton is a mountain of a man who can hit moonballs well past the limits of the outfield walls at Yankees Stadium.

He was a better athlete during his days with the Miami Marlins, as he is now limited to designated hitter duty, but the DH spot has never been more prevalent and important in MLB. The middle of the lineup with Aaron Judge and Stanton is scary for any opponent to face, even with the departure of Juan Soto.

T10. Corey Seager: $325 million

While the Yankees, Dodgers, and now the Mets have been the talk of baseball as of recent, fans have been quick to forget how incredible Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers were back in 2023. The shortstop was the best player on the Rangers as they won their first World Series last season.

His incredible postseason play was a big reason why Texas found that success. Seager is one of only four two-time World Series MVPs, and you can expect the Rangers to return to form next season.

Noam Gumerman is a current grad student at Davenport University on an athletic scholarship playing Ultimate Frisbee. He grew up in Chapel Hill, NC, which predictably helped develop a deep love of college sports, especially basketball. However, from birth he was indoctrinated by family into a very intense relationship with football, but has recently grown up and developed interests in all major US sports as well as a newfound love for international soccer. When not consuming sports or sports media, Noam is an avid gamer, a topic he has also spent a fair amount of time writing about as well.