He then put together one of the more spectacular postseason runs in history, culminating in a World Series MVP Award. Dollar figures may not be adjusted for deferred money. The highest-paid player in Major League Baseball (MLB) from the 2018 Major League Baseball season is Los Angeles Angels ' Center Fielder Mike Trout with an annual salary of $35.54 million on a 12-year contract for $426,500,000. Now, though, he’s left one NL East team for another. Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer will be the highest-paid player in baseball this season. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: $292 million over 10 years. Stanton enjoyed some prolific seasons in Miami -- including a memorable 59-homer, NL MVP campaign in 2017 -- before the Marlins traded him to the Yankees to kickstart a rebuilding phase just weeks after he took home the MVP hardware. Cole was taken first overall by the Pirates in 2011, while Harper was first overall in ‘10. (This was the contract he had originally signed with the Rangers prior to the '01 season, which carried over to New York when he was traded in '04.) His deal with Texas more than doubled pitcher Mike Hampton’s previous-record $121 million deal with the Rockies, signed just days before Rodriguez put his pen to paper. Mookie Betts, $365,000,000 (2021-32) 3. While Harper and the Phillies tied their fortunes together, Machado’s deal with San Diego -- baseball’s first $300 million free-agent contract -- included an opt-out after Year 5. Pujols' best years came with the Cardinals, but he's further cemented his Hall of Fame legacy with the Angels. Alex Rodriguez, Rangers: 10 years, $252 million (2001-10). The slugger powered the Yankees to their 27th World Series championship two autumns later. This website is not directly or indirectly affiliated, associated, or connected in any way to Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League or the National Hockey League. Cabrera pocketed three more top-10 MVP finishes and another batting title in 2015 before injuries began taking their toll in '17. That prodigious start compelled the Angels to reward Trout with this extension, which also allowed him to eclipse Zack Greinke's record for average annual value and, notably, did not include opt-outs. Cabrera’s first six seasons in the Motor City included three batting titles, one home run title, the 2012 AL Triple Crown and back-to-back league MVPs in ’12 and ’13. Contract information is unofficial and collected from published reports. Well, he was the highest-paid player, and probably was paid more than most of us realize. For information like contract history, contract incentives, and more, we heartily recommend Cot's Contracts Unsigned players salaries are estimated based on the last three years of salary data: $585.45k for pre-arbitration, $2.42M for 1st-year arb, $3.62M for 2nd-year-arb, $6.13M for 3rd-year-arb, $6.13M for 4th-year-arb. 6. 3) Manny Machado, Padres: 10 years, $300 million (2019-28). "All along," A-Rod said after reaching his new deal, "I knew I wanted to be a Yankee. ", 10) David Price, Red Sox: 7 years, $217 million (2016-22). Joe Maddon is baseball’s best-paid skipper and expected to make roughly $4.5 million in 2020 after being hired by the Los Angeles Angels last month. Updated 12/2020. With Cole’s deal setting a record for pitchers, both of the top two free-agent deals by total value were given to No. Machado holds the distinction as being the first $300 million free agent in MLB history with the deal he inked with San Diego. Price was brilliant in winning both Game 2 and the clinching Game 5 over the Dodgers, leading the Red Sox to their fourth championship in 15 seasons. Step on up, Gerrit Cole , … This website is not directly or indirectly affiliated, associated, or connected in any way to Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League or the National Hockey League. He won the AL MVP Award in '03. 2) Gerrit Cole, Yankees: 9 years, $324 million (2020-28). Total value isn't the only way to look at player contracts, as the length of the deal also matters. Here are the 10 biggest contracts MLB free agents have ever received. It turned out to be a highly lucrative decision. In total, he will earn $426.5 million over 12 years. His closest competitor, Bryce Harper, held the record for less than three weeks. An elite two-way player, Machado will anchor what the Padres hope will be a bright future, with shortstop phenom Fernando Tatis Jr. playing next to him, and many more elite up-and-comers on the way from MLB's top farm system. 1. Contract: 3 years, $75 million (through 2020, with a $20 million club option for 2021 and 2022) One thing to know : Jake Arrieta has one of the more interesting contracts in baseball. Alvarez inked a five-year, 11-fight deal worth at … Mike Trout's new record-setting deal with the Angels not only cements his status as the best player in the game today; it also significantly raises the ceiling for player contracts in North American sports. I do care. Bryce Harper, $330,000,000 (2019-31) 4. Here's a list of the biggest MLB free-agent contracts by the amount they were worth per year. For information like contract history, contract incentives, and more, we heartily recommend Cot's Contracts Unsigned players salaries are estimated based on the last three years of salary data: $585.45k for pre-arbitration, $2.42M for 1st-year arb, $3.62M for 2nd-year-arb, $6.13M for 3rd-year-arb, $6.13M for 4th-year-arb. 8-T) Robinson Canó, Mariners: 10 years, $240 million (2014-23). 6-T) Anthony Rendon, Angels: 7 years, $245 million (2020-26). Wheeler got overshadowed on the Mets by Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom. Cole’s nine years are also the second most for any pitcher contract, trailing only Wayne Garland’s 10-year contract in the 1970s, in a far different era of free agency. … That's how I want to be remembered, as a guy that was productive in this game, not a guy that just feels comfortable because he gets the money. Harper's deal -- the biggest free-agent contract in the history of the four major North American professional sports -- includes a full no-trade clause, per multiple reports, but notably does not include any opt-outs, making it a straightforward, old-school mega-contract. Harper and the Phillies are committed to each other for more than a decade to come. After seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, 2015 NL MVP and All-Star right fielder Bryce Harper left for greener… Browse MLB contracts, salaries, team payrolls, cash payrolls, transactions, player valuations and more. Well, most of them are. Originally, this was reported as a 12-year deal worth $430 million, but Trout was already under contract for 2019 and 2020 for $66.5 million in total, so it's really a 10-year extension, which is still the biggest contract the sport has ever seen. The Philadelphia Phillies are signing All-Star catcher J.T. Seasons: 16. Baseball would never be the same after A-Rod signed this landmark deal at age 25. After four full months of speculation and a rotating carousel of suitors, long-term security -- and a record haul -- ultimately won the day. Mike Trout, $426,500,000 (2019-30) 2. While the Red Sox were sewing up a World Series sweep of the Rockies, their rival’s biggest star stole headlines when Boras announced that Rodriguez would be opting out of his final three years with New York. If the historic 2018-19 offseason had a consistent theme with its headliners, it was probably comfort. Boxing – Canelo Alvarez, DAZN: $73 million. In 2012, Cabrera became the first … $330 million - Bryce Harper, MLB. Rendon’s $35 million average annual value is the highest ever for a third baseman and tied for third highest regardless of position, with Strasburg. Before Strasburg, the largest free-agent contract ever awarded to a pitcher belonged to Price, who joined a small group of $200 million pitchers -- Zack Greinke, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw are the others -- when he went to Boston in the offseason of 2015. In total, he will earn $426.5 million over 12 years. But the Padres’ bright future with the game’s top farm system in tow could ultimately build a perennial winner around their new superstar talent. 3. Bryce Harper, $330,000,000 (2019-31) 4. We've seen some massive free-agent deals signed in recent years, but where do they rank among the largest free-agent contracts in baseball history? Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins: 13 years, $325 million (2015-27). Below is our list of the 20 largest contracts in MLB history. ), 1) Bryce Harper, Phillies: 13 years, $330 million (2019-31). "I don't want to be like those guys that, two or three years into their contract, they do really good and then they don't care. He became just the sixth player to be an All-Star for a team that won the World Series, then leave in free agency that offseason. MLB Salary Rankings Listing the top salaries , cap hits , cash , earnings , contracts , … He’s seemingly gotten better every year since then, compiling the most WAR of any position player in history (per Baseball-Reference) through his age-26 season. This is a list of the largest sports contracts.These figures include … 4) Alex Rodriguez, Yankees: 10 years, $275 million (2008-17), In the middle of Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, announced that A-Rod would be opting out of the final three years of his contract with the Yankees. 1 overall Draft pick in 2010. 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. Machado and Harper’s dueling free agencies defined the 2018-19 offseason, as the two players (and their rival agents, Dan Lozano and Scott Boras) aimed for the new free-agent standard. Stanton represented Miami’s first homegrown superstar since the franchise dealt away many of the pieces from its 2003 World Series championship club, and owner Jeffrey Loria attempted to keep Stanton in South Florida as long as possible with this landmark deal that blew past Rodriguez’s record for total value. Bryce Harper, Phillies: 13 years, $330 million (2019-31). While A-Rod later expressed regret about the way the opt-out was handled, he and the Yankees were able to come up with a most amicable solution by December 2007: A new bar for MLB’s richest contract that made Rodriguez the first player to sign two separate contracts of at least $250 million. Barring something extraordinary, Trout will be an Angel for the rest of his career. Then, Machado inked his $300 million deal with the Padres in mid-February, giving Harper a floor for the contract he could demand from his final suitors that reportedly included the Phillies, Giants and Dodgers. Scherzer is set to make more than $42 million in 2019. During the 2018-19 offseason, Bryce Harper became the highest-paid free agent in baseball history, thanks to the $330 million contract he signed with the Phillies. Wheeler signed a … This offseason, Gerrit Cole broke the record for largest total contract value for a pitcher, and the deal's $36 million average annual value is the highest in baseball history regardless of position. Originally, this was reported as a 12-year deal worth $430 million, but Trout was already under contract for 2019 and 2020 for $66.5 million in total, so it's really a 10-year extension, which is still the biggest contract the sport has ever seen. Stephen Strasburg, exit stage left, your run as MLB's highest-paid pitcher with your $245 million contract was short-lived. Cole, considered perhaps the best active pitcher, will bring strikeouts upon strikeouts to the Bronx. In New York, he was a five-time AL All-Star, a five-time AL Silver Slugger Award winner and two-time Gold Glove Award winner at second base, as well as winning the World Series in 2009. Multiple reports stated that San Francisco lengthened its offer from a short-term structure to a much longer commitment in the final days leading up to Harper's signing, so Philadelphia's 13-year commitment might have put the NL East club over the top. 9 (tie). 8. Albert Pujols, Angels: 10 years, $240 million (2012-21). Stanton has an opt-out clause that he can initiate after the 2020 campaign. Please note that if a player was already under contract and signed an extension, only the new money counts. ", Seeking to repair the relationship and re-open negotiations, A-Rod approached the Yankees through a Goldman Sachs managing director, and the two sides were able to work out a new deal in mid-December. ", 5) Alex Rodriguez, Rangers: 10 years, $252 million (2001-10). Harper's 13-year contract with the Phillies includes a no … 1 overall picks. Pujols was coming off a historically great 11-year run with the Cardinals when he hit free agency following the 2011 season. First was Stanton's record extension with the Marlins in 2014, which gave Harper and his agent Scott Boras an early goal for the most guaranteed money of any kind for an MLB player. Mike Trout, $426,500,000 (2019-30) 2. Stephen Strasburg, exit stage left, your run as MLB's highest-paid pitcher with your $245 million contract was short-lived. The three-time NL MVP and two-time World Series champ netted himself an unusual amount for a player entering his age-32 season, but the Halos saw an opportunity to sign a franchise-altering talent who would tick off many incredible achievements in Orange County. Now a Met, Cano remains on a Hall of Fame-level track, though his 2018 suspension for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy could complicate his candidacy. For a while, Price wasn't always the most popular player with Red Sox fans -- especially due to postseason struggles and a verbal altercation with NESN broadcaster and Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley in 2017 -- but he reversed all those narratives in the 2018 World Series. Pujols hit his 600th home run and knocked his 3,000th hit in Angels red, and will likely drive in the 2,000th run of his career in 2019. He continued to excel with the Mariners, earning All-Star nods in three of his first four seasons in Seattle. While Strasburg appeared to be far from certain to opt out when the season began, he proceeded to produce arguably his finest year, leading the NL in innings (209) and wins (18), posting a 3.32 ERA and 251 strikeouts while finishing fifth in the Cy Young Award race. Highest-Paid Players in MLB by AAV. He was a three-time National League MVP Award winner ('05 and '08-09), a two-time World Series champ ('06 and '11), the '01 NL Rookie of the Year Award winner, a nine-time All-Star ('01, 2003-10), a back-to-back home run champion ('09-10) and a batting champion ('03). But Pujols also has over 1,000 hits with the Angels -- making him one of just nine players in MLB history with 1,000 hits in both leagues -- and close to 200 homers, including a 40-homer season and a pair of 30-homer seasons. 6-T) Stephen Strasburg, Nationals: 7 years, $245 million (2020-26). But now, it’s clear the top end of baseball’s market has caught up. Mike Trout, Angels: 10 years, $360 million (2021-30). 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