Shohei Ohtani has finally signed, and his deal comes with all the exclamation points we expected: 10 years, $700 million from the Dodgers, giving him the largest deal in MLB history and making him the highest-paid athlete in the world.
The deal gives Ohtani everything he seemed to want. He's on a competitive team, he stays on the west coast and he clearly liked whatever Andrew Friedman and team said in the room. But the contract also came with a wild wrinkle: thanks to a set of unprecedented deferrals, Ohtani will only earn $2 million a year over the course of the deal, then have the remaining $680 million be paid out from 2034-2043. The two-way superstar is also estimated to make around $50 million annually in endorsements, but the Dodgers are on the hook for less than a mediocre reliever's salary.
Rest assured, Ohtani will still be a very, very rich man at the end of all of this. His AAV, which figures in around $46 million for CBT purposes, according to The Athletic, still puts him above Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, whose Mets contracts set the last record.
Below are the lists of both baseball's top 10 best-paid players in 2024 as well as the largest AAVs in MLB history. You'll note the lists have some differences. Different yearly salaries based on contract structures make players like Anthony Rendon and Patrick Corbin show up higher on the list of the top-paid players in 2024 based on information provided by Sportrac.
MLB's highest-paid players 2024
| Rank/player | Team | Contract details | 2024 salary | Average annual value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shohei Ohtani | Dodgers | 10 years, $700 million | $2,000,000 | $46,000,000 |
T2. Max Scherzer | Mets/Rangers | 3 years, $130 million | $43,333,333 | $43,333,333 |
T2. Justin Verlander | Mets/Astros | 2 years, $86.66 million | $43,333,333 | $43,333,333 |
T4. Jacob deGrom | Rangers | 5 years, $185 million | $40,000,000 | $37,000,000 |
T4. Aaron Judge | Yankees | 9 years, $360 million | $40,000,000 | $40,000,000 |
6. Anthony Rendon | Angels | 7 years, $245 million | $38,571,428 | $35,000,000 |
7. Mike Trout | Angels | 12 years, $426.5 million | $37,116,666 | $35,541,667 |
8. Gerrit Cole | Yankees | 9 years, $324 million | $36,000,000 | $36,000,000 |
9. Patrick Cobrin | Nationals | 6 years, $140 million | $35,416,670 | $23,333,333 |
T10. Stephen Strasburg | Nationals | 7 years, $245 million | $35,000,000 | $35,000,000 |
T10. Nolan Arenado | Rockies/Cardinals | 8 years, $260 million | $35,000,000 | $32,500,000 |
| T10. Corey Seager | Rangers | 10 years, $325 million | $35,000,000 | $32,500,000 |
Below, you'll find the 10 biggest contracts in terms of average annual value in baseball history, along with each player's signing team (not their current team), and the terms of their deal.
Biggest contracts in MLB history based on AAV
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH/RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers: ~$46,000,000 (2024-33)
T2. Max Scherzer, RHP, New York Mets: $43,333,333 (2022-24)
T2. Justin Verlander, RHP, New York Mets: $43,333,333 (2023-24)
4. Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees: $40,000,000 (2023-31)
5. Jacob deGrom, RHP, Texas Rangers: $37,000,000 (2023-27)
6. Gerrit Cole, RHP, New York Yankees: $36,000,000 (2020-28)
7. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels: $35,541,667 (2019-30)
8. Carlos Correa, SS, Minnesota Twins: $35,100,000 (2022-24)
T9. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Washington Nationals: $35,000,000 (2020-26)
T9. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Los Angeles Angels: $35,000,000 (2020-26)
