Biggest MLB contracts in history: Where Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado deals rank
The MLB offseason may have been slow, but it’s sure ended with a bang.
Spring training has been peppered with one historic payout after another, and Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout took the cake on Tuesday with a 12-year extension worth more than $430 million, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported.
Nolan Arenado received $260 million from the Colorado Rockies, Manny Machado agreed to a $300 million-deal with the San Diego Padres and Bryce Harper briefly made history with his 13-year, $330 million pact with the Philadelphia Phillies. But now Trout reigns supreme with a contract that’ll pay an average of more than $35.8 million per season — a record among active baseball players.
Machado’s 10-year deal, the first of this offseason’s massive contracts handed out, didn’t quite eclipse the 2014 Giancarlo Stanton deal in terms of total money. Since then, however, both Harper and Trout have smashed it to pieces.
Here’s how each of the contracts stack up against the biggest all-time deals in MLB history, with numbers from Baseball Prospectus:
| Player | Team | Contract Length | Contract Value | Average/Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | 12 years | $430+ million | $35.8+ million |
| Bryce Harper | Philadelphia Phillies | 13 years | $330 million | $25.3 million |
|
Giancarlo Stanton |
13 years |
$325 million |
$25 million |
|
|
Manny Machado |
San Diego Padres |
10 years |
$300 million |
$30 million |
|
Alex Rodriguez |
10 years |
$275 million |
$27.5 million |
|
|
Nolan Arenado |
Colorado Rockies |
8 years |
$260 million |
$32.5 million |
|
Alex Rodriguez |
10 years |
$252 million |
$25.2 million |
|
|
8 years |
$248 million |
$31 million |
||
|
Los Angeles Angels |
10 years |
$240 million |
$24 million |
|
|
10 years |
$240 million |
$24 million |
If you’re looking just at average money per year, Machado’s deal ranks just outside the top five, while Arenado’s places second — and first among position players. Harper, meanwhile, falls just outside the top 10 in that category despite landing the biggest total deal. Trout? Well, he wins it all. Here’s a look at the top current MLB contracts in terms of average salary per season:
- OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: $35.8+ million
- SP Zack Greinke, Arizona Diamondbacks: $34.4 million
- 3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies: $32.5 million
- SP David Price, Boston Red Sox: $31 million
- SP Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: $31 million
- 1B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: $31 million
- SS Manny Machado, San Diego Padres: $30 million
- SP Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals: $30 million
- CF Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets: $27.5 million
- SP Jon Lester, Chicago Cubs: $25.8 million
Beyond baseball, in terms of total money, Machado’s contract initially clocked in as the third largest current deals in all of sports, ranking behind only Stanton and boxer Canelo Álvarez ($365 million). Harper and Trout, of course, have since shaken up that list.
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