- Shohei Ohtani received the biggest free-agent contract after the 2023 season.
- The nine biggest free-agent contracts have been handed out since 2019.
- Only two pitchers are in the top 10.
Baseball contracts continue to increase at a dramatic rate. Unsurprisingly, MLB’s biggest free agent contracts have all been in the 21st century, and the top nine were signed since 2019.
Front offices are taking a risk when handing out historically big contracts in free agency. There is considerable downside, but it’s a gamble franchises consistently take.
The World Series favourites in MLB odds have often committed money to their roster in free agency.
What Are the Biggest Free-Agency Contracts in MLB History?
| Rank | Player | Team | Years | Total Value |
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers | 10 | $700 million |
| 2 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | 9 | $360 million |
| 3 | Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | 13 | $330 million |
| T-4 | Corey Seager | Texas Rangers | 10 | $325 million |
| T-4 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Los Angeles Dodgers | 12 | $325 million |
| 6 | Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | 9 | $324 million |
| T-7 | Manny Machado | San Diego Padres | 10 | $300 million |
| T-7 | Trea Turner | Philadelphia Phillies | 11 | $300 million |
| 9 | Xander Bogaerts | San Diego Padres | 11 | $280 million |
| 10 | Alex Rodriguez | New York Yankees | 10 | $275 million |
What’s the Biggest MLB Contract in History?
Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to the biggest contract in MLB history during the 2023-24 offseason. Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million pact with the Dodgers, with $680 million deferred for a decade.
The deal might have been even bigger if Ohtani hadn’t suffered an injury to his pitching arm during the 2023 regular season.
Ohtani’s presence immediately had an impact on baseball playoff odds. The Dodgers were favourites to win the World Series throughout the season – they ultimately defeated the New York Yankees in five games in Ohtani’s first season with the team.
What’s the Biggest Signing Bonus in MLB History?
Chase Burns and Charlie Condon share the record for the biggest signing bonus in MLB history. Burns and Condon received $9.25 million signing bonuses after being selected second and third, respectively, in the 2024 MLB draft.
The Cincinnati Reds drafted Burns, a right-handed pitcher, from Wake Forest. Condon, an outfielder from Georgia, was selected by the Colorado Rockies.
Burns and Condon narrowly broke the record set by Paul Skenes in 2023. Skenes was taken first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was a fringe option to bet online to win the National League Cy Young in 2024.
Prior to the introduction of the bonus pool system in 2012, four players received larger guarantees as part of big-league contracts. Stephen Strasburg got $15,107,104 in guaranteed money when the Washington Nationals took him first overall in 2009.
Mark Prior, picked second overall by the Chicago Cubs in 2002, received a $10.5 million deal. Bryce Harper received $9.9 million from the Nationals when he was taken first overall in 2010, and Mark Teixeira was paid $9.5 million by the Texas Rangers after being selected fifth overall in 2001.
Who Was the First Million-Dollar Contract in the MLB?
Nolan Ryan signed the first million-dollar contract in MLB history.
In November 1979, Ryan signed a four-year, $4.5 million pact with the Houston Astros, which made him the highest-paid baseball player of all time.
The hard-throwing right-hander ultimately spent nine seasons with the Astros before returning to the Texas Rangers for the last five years of his MLB career.
He posted a 110 ERA+ and 2.87 FIP with Houston across 282 starts.
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