12 History’s Biggest MLB Contracts

12 Largest MLB Contracts in the History

Everyone is curious about the players’ salaries. The money earned by each player varies. We might be enamored with money, then.

Some players earn more, but the majority of players make about average.

Of course, celebrities make up a considerable portion of the income.

The deal can occasionally be so sizable that it astounds everyone.

In MLB history, a player’s worth has been determined by their contract.

Let’s look at those shocking contracts, then.

12 History’s Biggest MLB Contracts

These top 12 MLB contracts shocked everyone and made the news.

The data was obtained from CBSSports.

12. José Cabrera

Before the 2014 season began, Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers agreed to an eight-year contract.

He will receive a staggering $248 million over the course of eight years.

His annual pay now amounts to $31 million.

The first baseman typically earns a big salary.

However, Cabrera’s performance at the time was so strong that the team did not think twice about paying him.

He was the most valuable player in 2012 and 2013.

Similar to this, Cabrera’s performance in 2012 helped him win the Triple Crown.

On the basis of this performance, he was able to seek a large compensation.

11. Alex Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s former MLB player moved from the Seattle Mariners to the Texas Rangers after the 2000 MLB season.

He entered into a $252 million contract with the Rangers during this shift.

He only spent three seasons with the Rangers.

He blasted 156 home runs and drove in 382 runs during his stint.

In addition to that, Rodriguez was named the 2003 Most Valuable Player.

However, the Rangers failed to take home a trophy during this time.

But when playing with the Texas Rangers, he led the team in home runs.

Rodriguez, a third baseman, played his final game in 2016.

He resorted to the media after giving up on the game.

He performed in some commercials and hosted some shows.

10. Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado is another third baseman on this list.

He played with the Colorado Rockies from 2013 until 2020.

He moved from the Rockies to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2021 campaign.

Naturally, the transfer amount made everyone’s eyes pop out.

Nolan was acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals for the staggering sum of $260 million.

This makes his average salary $35 million. Previously, the Rockies paid him $26 million.

Since his transfer, Nolan was selected to the All-Star team.

But, he failed to win the Gold Glove award he had won for the last 8 seasons.

9. Alex Rodriguez

Most players make one contract that grabs the headline.

Alex Rodriguez made two such contracts.

His transfer to the Texas Rangers was already a great deal.

However, after the 2003 World Series, he decided to make another deal with the Yankees.

The contract with the Yankees was for $275 million, making it the largest contract in MLB then.

As per this contract, he would retire with the Yankees.

Even after his 2016 season, other teams were interested in buying him, but he remained with the Yankees.

News reports were suggesting that the Yankees still owed him about $27 million even after his 2016 retirement.

Due to this, they decided to make him an advisor for the Yankees.

This is the kind of career everyone would like to have.

8. Manny Machado

With this contract, we enter the exclusive $300 million club.

Machado struck a deal with San Diego Padres for 10 years.

The signing amount for the contract was $2 million.

The base salary for 10 years is $30 million.

This makes Machando’ss salary an enormous sum of $32 million, making it one of the largest contracts in the MLB.

He has made 76 home runs for the San Diego Padres.

Manny Machado’s performance for San Diego has been mixed.

He made it to the All-Star team only once but was included in First Team for the first time.

In 2020 he had a batting average of .304, an above-average for him.

He still has about 7 years of the contract left, so hopefully, his form will be back soon.

7. Gerritt Cole

Most of the players till now were the third basemen.

Contrary to them, Gerritt Cole is a pitcher.

A pitcher is as vital as a hitter.

It’s well known that the Yankees are one of the wealthiest teams in the MLB.

So, they can afford to go the extra mile for a particular player.

So, after the 2019 season, the Yankees bought Cole from Houston Astros by paying him $324 million.

The contract is for 9 years. This makes his salary about $36 million.

Interestingly, the Yankees wanted to sign him for the 2008 draft, but he decided to join the college.

So it seems he was destined to play for the Yankees.

Even though his contract is not of the highest amount, his salary is one of the highest.

6. Giancarlo Stanton

Miami Marlins is a relatively young team in the MLB.

So, in 2014 they decided to keep their star player by offering him a contract of $325 million.

They offered him a contract despite an injury season in 2013.

Giancarlo Stanton delivered on the team’s belief in 2017.

In the 2017 season, he won the Most Valuable Player award.

However, after the 2017 season, the Marlins traded him to the New York Yankees.

In return, the Marlins acquired Starlin Castro and two other minor league players.

Many fans were surprised when he was traded to the Yankees.

After all, they traded the MVP player. And, no one trades MVP players.

Stanton smacked two home runs in the first match for the Yankees.

Since he has hit 86 home runs with the Yankees.

5. Bryce Harper

6 times 2019 saw the trade of All-Star player Bryce Harper to the Philadelphia Phillies.

He had already received the Most Valuable Player honor by that point.

Naturally, his previous team, the Washington Nationals, would not let him leave for a bargain.

There were numerous profitable bids.

Teams like the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros were interested in Harper.

But Philadelphia Phillies ultimately prevailed in the negotiation.

Bryce received a 13-year, $330 million contract from the Phillies.

Since then, he has had a batting average of.281 and has hit 83 home runs.

He hasn’t been able to match the magic of 2015, but he is still a great player.

4. Fernando Tatis Junior

The teams frequently pay the seasoned players a hefty sum.

They occasionally will also give a substantial sum of money to a fresh, promising lead.

One of the top prospects for the future was Tatis Jr.

The consensus among several sports networks, including ESPN and Baseball America, is that Fernando Tatis Jr. is the player to keep an eye on.

The San Diego Padres made the decision to give a newcomer $340 million as a result.

He hasn’t let the squad down thus far.

Fernando, a shortstop/outfielder, was chosen for the 2021 All-Sar team.

He also earned the First Team in 2020 in addition to that.

He also received the Silver Slugger honor in 2020.

Most home runs were also hit by Fernando’s bat.

3. Francisco Lindor

The Cleveland Indians’ shortstop was given a $341 million deal by the New York Mets in 2021.

The contract established the benchmark for the largest signing bonus sum.

He received a $21 million signing bonus from the Mets.

The majority of athletes dream of making that much as their base pay one day.

The basic pay for Francisco Lindor is $22.3 million.

His total compensation for his first season is therefore $44.3 million.

This explains why baseball is so popular among teenagers.

Maria Serrano Bio & Facts: Francisco Lindor’s Mother is discussed in more detail.

The four-time All-Star player has also twice taken home the Gold Glove trophy.

In addition, he twice received the Silver Slugger Award.

 2. Mookie Bets

Mookie Bets’ contract, which is also among the biggest MLB contracts, is another.

Boston Red Sox traded Bets for three players following the 2019 campaign.

One of the Boston Red Sox’s important players was Bets.

His performance in 2018 was crucial to the Red Sox winning the World Series.

Even in 2019, he had a batting average of.295 and 135 runs scored.

However, they dealt him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Despite dominating their division, the Dodgers were unable to win the World Series during the postseason.

Thus, they purchased Mookie Bets.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series for the first time since 1988 in 2020.

Therefore, the dodgers benefited from the trade-off.

He was also chosen as the season’s second Most Valuable Player.

1. Michael Trout

The contract to acquire Mike Trout is the richest MLB contract in league history.

The center fielder received a record $430 million from the Los Angeles Angles.

Trout committed to a contract with the Angeles Angles in 2019 that included a $36 million basic salary guarantee.

It makes sense that he receives this sum of money.

He has a.305 batting average.

The nine-time All-Star player has taken home three MVP honors. The most recent occurred in 2019.

In addition, he has received eight Silver Slugger honors.

Trout also had 30 base stealers and hit over 30 home homers in 2012.

Despite having the largest deal in MLB, many observers believe he is being underpaid.

He is crucial to Angeles’ success.

There is no opt-out clause in the 12-year deal.

Also read:     Mirjam Poterbin     James Harrison     Brad Culpepper

Conclusion

The athletes earn more money annually than the average person does over the course of many lifetimes.

It is also true that they have worked hard and fought to get to this position.

Sports are just as challenging as life.

The only way to advance is by putting in a lot of effort.