Biggest contracts in North American team sports: Soto tops list of $300M players

It took just one year for Juan Soto to set a new record for the largest contract in sports history. It’s anyone’s guess how long it will take before his deal with the Mets is surpassed. 

Soto’s 15-year, $765 million pact didn’t even include any deferred money, making it worth about $300 million more than Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million agreement with the Dodgers. 

Over the years, athletes’ salaries have skyrocketed amid billion-dollar television deals. In 1979, Nolan Ryan became the first pro athlete to earn $1 million per season upon signing with the Astros. Now, dozens of NFL players make more than $1 million per game, while the highest-paid NBA players are approaching that figure for a day’s work.

But the largest overall contract values primarily belong to baseball players. Soto became the 17th player across the four North American professional sports leagues to have a deal worth at least $300 million; 15 of those are in MLB. Interestingly, every player who’s signed a $300 million deal is still active.

Here’s the complete list.

(Note: these values are based on data from Spotrac.com)

1. Juan Soto: 15 years, $765M, New York Mets

• The contract reportedly has escalators that raise the value to over $800 million.
• His $51 million average annual value is tied for 25th-highest among the four major sports leagues.

2. Shohei Ohtani: 10 years, $700M, Los Angeles Dodgers

• His $70 million average annual value 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, which lowers the present-day value of the deal to $460,814,760.

3. Patrick Mahomes: 10 years, $450M, Kansas City Chiefs

• Mahomes has restructured his contract on multiple occasions. He restructured in 2023 to receive $208.1 million between the 2023 and 2026 seasons. He restructured again during the 2024 offseason to help the team create cap space.

4. Mike Trout: 12 years, $426.5M, Los Angeles Angels

• The contract was the largest in North American sports history at the time of signing in March 2019.
• His $35.4 average annual value is currently tied for the eighth-highest in baseball.

5. Mookie Betts: 12 years, $365M, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Betts agreed to the extension just a few months after being traded to the Dodgers in 2020.
• His $30.4 million average annual value is the 16th-highest in the league.

6. Aaron Judge: 9 years, $360M, New York Yankees

• Judge’s nine-year deal is the largest in the history of the Yankees, turning down greater offers during the 2022-23 offseason.
• His $40 million average annual value is the fourth-highest in MLB.

7. Manny Machado: 11 years, $350M, San Diego Padres

• Machado agreed to the extension in February 2023, four years after signing a 10-year, $300 million deal to join the organization.
• His $31.8 million average annual value is the 14th-highest in the majors.

8. Francisco Lindor: 10 years, $341M, New York Mets

• Lindor agreed to the extension less than three months after being traded to the Mets in 2021.
• His $34.1 million average annual value is the 10th-highest in MLB.

9. Fernando Tatís Jr. : 14 years, $340M, San Diego Padres

• Tatis agreed to the extension ahead of the 2021 season following his second year in the league, making it the third-largest contract in MLB history at the time.
• His $24.3 million average annual value is the 40th-highest in MLB.

10. Bryce Harper: 13 years, $330M, Philadelphia Phillies

• Harper’s contract was the largest in MLB history when he signed it as a free agent in March 2019, holding that record for just a few weeks.
• His $25.4 million average annual value is the 30th-highest in MLB.

T11. Giancarlo Stanton: 13 years, $325M, New York Yankees

• Stanton signed the extension when he was with the Miami Marlins following his 37-home run season in 2014, making him the highest-paid player in baseball at the time.
• His $25 million average annual value is tied for the 33rd-highest in baseball.

T11. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 12 years, $325M, Los Angeles Dodgers

• Yamamoto’s contract is the largest ever for an MLB pitcher, breaking the previous record by $1 million.
• His $27.1 million average annual value is the 20th-highest in MLB.

T11. Corey Seager: 10 years, $325M, Texas Rangers

• Seager’s contract is the largest ever for a shortstop in free agency.
• His $32.5 million average annual value is tied for the 12th-highest in MLB.

14. Gerrit Cole: 9 years, $324M, New York Yankees

• Cole’s contract was the largest ever for an MLB pitcher at the time of signing in December 2019.
• His $36 million average annual value was also the highest in MLB at the time of the deal. It ranks seventh in baseball now.

15. Jayson Tatum: 5 years, $313.9M, Boston Celtics

• Tatum’s extension, which he signed in July 2024, is the largest contract in NBA history.
• His $62.8 million average annual value is the third-highest among the four major professional leagues.

16. Rafael Devers: 10 years, $313.5M, Boston Red Sox 

• Devers’ extension, which he signed in January 2023, is the largest contract in Red Sox history.
• His $31.4 million average annual value is the 15th-highest in MLB.

17. Trea Turner: 11 years, $300M, Philadelphia Phillies

• Turner’s extension made the Phillies the first team to ever sign two players from other teams on $300 million deals in free agency.
• His $27.3 million average annual value is the 17th-highest in MLB.

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