Author: rincon

For two consecutive offseasons, an MLB player has received the biggest contract in sports history.

Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million pact with the Dodgers obliterated Mike Trout’s previous record ($426.5 million). Juan Soto‘s $765 million agreement with the Mets represents an even bigger jump when you factor in present-day value and the fact Ohtani deferred $680 million over the span of two decades. 

So, who’s next? 

Well, it is unlikely that Soto’s deal will be eclipsed anytime soon, or at any point by a current MLB player. But there are future free agents who could challenge other contract records and join the $300 million club by the end of the decade.

Here’s an early look at some of the top free agents in each of the coming years.

2025-26 offseason

Toronto Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Blue Jays star first baseman headlines next offseason’s free-agent class. The 25-year-old returned to MVP-caliber form in 2024, slashing .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs and a 166 OPS+.

Guerrero will be only six months older than Soto is now when he hits the open market, putting him in line to earn a rich, long-term deal. It likely won’t match the record length of Soto’s deal (15), given Vlad’s fluctuations in performance, but he could become just the fourth MLB player to receive a $400 million deal. 

Houston Astros OF Kyle Tucker

Some could argue that Tucker is the better player between him and Guerrero, as his baseline of hitting has been higher and he’s a plus defender and baserunner. The former Astro slashed .289/.408/.585 with 23 homers, 49 RBIs and 181 OPS+ in just 78 games last season, putting him on a near-MVP trajectory. Should he produce at that level in his new Cubs uniform over a full season, he could be primed for a bigger payday than Vlad. It’s also interesting to consider that nearly all of Excel Sports Management’s top clients (Dansby Swanson, George Springer, Trevor Story) have switched teams in free agency in recent years, with Clayton Kershaw being an exception. 

Somewhat working against Tucker: He’ll be 29 by the start of the 2026 season.

San Diego Padres RHP Dylan Cease and Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen

The two NL West aces figure to be the best pitchers on the market next offseason. Only two pitchers have ever received a contract north of $300 million, though that could change once Corbin Burnes signs this winter. 

Cease, who’ll be 30 by the start of the 2026 season, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past three seasons, posting two top-four Cy Young finishes. Gallen, who will also be 30 by the start of the 2026 season, has a pair of recent top-five Cy Young finishes.

Both pitchers are represented by Scott Boras, making it likely they hit the open market next winter. If both have strong seasons in 2025, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Boras is able to negotiate two more $300 million deals.

2026-27 offseason

Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal

Skubal is coming off a pitching triple crown season and is the consensus choice for the best pitcher in baseball. While he won’t hit free agency for another two years upon turning 30, he could still be in line to command the largest pitching contract in MLB history, given the lack of miles on his arm. He’ll just need to maintain his 2024 level of performance.

A pitcher, no matter how good, won’t pose a threat to Soto’s record. But it seems possible for Skubal to earn more on an annual basis than anyone in baseball outside of two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. He’s also a Boras client, which means they’ll likely be fighting for that mark.

Boston Red Sox LHP Garrett Crochet

Crochet will be 27 in the 2026-27 offseason, a relatively young age for an All-Star ace to become a free agent. However, Crochet has expressed a desire to get an extension done. When he was a rumored trade candidate ahead of the deadline in July, he expressed that he would only pitch in the postseason if he had an extension in place. 

Initial reports following his trade suggested that the Red Sox and Crochet could work out an extension in the near future. It would certainly be for nine figures, but could come in lower than he’d get on the open market two winters from now. 

2027-28 offseason

Baltimore Orioles C Adley Rutschman

If the countdown wasn’t already on for the Orioles’ young core to produce, they have a few seasons before one of their top homegrown players hits free agency. Rutschman will hit free agency in the 2027-28 offseason, shortly before his 30th birthday. The two-time All-Star has regressed a bit at the plate but his positional value will make his negotiations interesting. Whether he extends with the Orioles or reaches free agency, expect Rutschman to exceed Joe Mauer’s record eight-year, $184 million extension for a catcher. 

Something to note, Rutschman’s agency (Beverly Hill Sports Council) helped negotiate the extension Jackson Chourio received before he even played an MLB game.

Milwaukee Brewers C William Contreras

Similar to Rutschman, Contreras could also threaten Mauer’s contract record for catchers. The two-time All-Star will also be turning 30 that offseason and has been a slightly better hitter than Rutschman, if not quite as good on defense. Just don’t expect him to fetch that megadeal from the Brewers.

Seattle Mariners RHP Logan Gilbert

It’s possible that the player who receives the largest contract in the 2027-28 offseason is a pitcher. Gilbert, who’ll be 30 when he’s eligible for free agency that year, has been among the AL’s best pitchers since 2022. When you consider his effectiveness (league-leading 0.887 WHIP in 2024) and durability (league-leading 208.2 innings pitched in 2024), he might have a strong chance at joining the list of $300 million pitchers.

2028-29 offseason

Baltimore Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson

A year after Rutschman is due to hit free agency, Henderson is also scheduled to hit the open market. Henderson stands as the best candidate to threaten Soto’s record in the foreseeable future. The 23-year-old is arguably the best shortstop in the game already, slashing .281/.364/.529 with 37 homers and a 159 OPS+ this past season. Those numbers are better than what Soto put up at the plate in his age-23 season. Henderson will be 27 when he finally hits free agency, putting a lengthy and lucrative extension in play. His agent? Boras. 

Star shortstops have long been paid at the very top of the market, putting Henderson in line for a fascinating negotiation should he continue at his current pace. 

Houston Astros OF/DH Yordan Alvarez

Alvarez would be a free agent next winter had he not signed a six-year, $115 million extension with the Astros midway through the 2022 season. Alvarez will be 31 when he hits the open market, but he could still cash in given his consistent and prolific production. Only Aaron Judge has a higher career OPS+.

2029-30 offseason

New York Mets OF Juan Soto 

Soto can opt out of his current deal after five seasons upon turning 31 years old. He’ll have already earned $255 million from the Mets, who could void the opt-out by committing to another $550 million over the ensuing 10 years, which equates to a $4 million annual raise.

Atlanta Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. 

Barring another extension, Acuna can get his first taste of free agency in the 2029-30 offseason. He’ll be turning 32 that winter, at which point he’s unlikely to set any records on the open market. Had the former MVP and Rookie of the Year not extended one year into his career (and not torn his ACL twice), he might have been the best candidate to negotiate a deal in Soto’s range. 

Atlanta Braves RHP Spencer Strider

Strider, who has a team option for the 2029 season, could also join his teammate Acuna in free agency in the 2029-30 offseason. He’ll be 31 then, still allowing fort a long-term payday. Of course, the more immediate concern for Strider, whose career got off to a blazing start, is making a full return from Tommy John surgery.

San Diego Padres OF Jackson Merrill

The 21-year-old Merrill was a standout in his 2024 rookie campaign, producing a 127 OPS+ with plus defense in center field. That earned him an All-Star selection. Five years from now, such all-around excellence could earn him hundreds of millions.

Cincinnati Reds SS Elly De La Cruz

With rocket arm strength, speed and power, EDLC has quickly emerged into one of the game’s most electrifying players. His rare ability to hit for power and lead the league in steals could certainly earn him a rich contract. He’d only be 28 when first eligible for free agency. The key for the Boras client will be eliminating the high variance in his play and growing into a more consistent, dependable hitter.  

Seattle Mariners OF Julio Rodríguez

The 2029-30 offseason marks the first player option in the massive extension Rodríguez signed near the end of his magnificent 2022 rookie season. He’ll be 29 by then, but still young enough to net another long-term payday. 

2030-31 offseason and beyond

Pirates ace Paul Skenes can be a free agent in the 2030-31 offseason at 28 years old. He might already be the most talented pitcher in baseball, and his historic rookie campaign puts him on a path to potentially setting numerous records on the open market. 

Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. joined the trend of young stars to sign long-term deals in recent years last offseason. His 11-year, $288.7 million extension allows him to become a free agent in the 2030-31 offseason, when he has a player option.

Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll signed an extension just prior to his 2023 Rookie of the Year campaign. He won’t become a free agent until the 2031-32 offseason, when he’s 31. 

Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio became the first star prospect to sign a long-term extension before making his MLB debut last spring. That’s already proving to be a great gamble for the Brewers, as Chourio excelled in his rookie season. His eight-year $82 million deal includes two team options, but Chourio won’t hit free agency until at least the 2031-32 offseason, following his age-27 season. 

Padres outfielder Fernando Tatís Jr. was at the forefront of the early extension trend. Prior to Soto’s deal, Tatís’ 14-year pact was the longest in history and keeps him from free agency until the 2034-35 offseason, when he’ll turn 36.

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Freddie Freeman’s historic walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the World Series has sold for $1.56 million at auction.

The bidding at SCP Auctions went into the late hours of Saturday night, according to a statement from the auction house on Sunday. It didn’t say who bought the ball.

Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, came to the plate on a sprained right ankle with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning against the New York Yankees. He hit the first pitch from Nestor Cortes 413 feet for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

The Dodgers won the game 6-3 and went on to claim the franchise’s eighth World Series championship in five games. Freeman was named World Series MVP.

The ball landed in the right-field pavilion, where it was corralled by 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman, who lives in Los Angeles. The ball rolled from the seat in front of him to his feet and he batted it to his father, Nico, who jumped on it.

The fifth-grader had been told he was leaving school early that day to get his braces removed. Instead, his parents took him to Dodger Stadium.

It’s the second ball connected to the Dodgers to be auctioned this season. The ball hit by Shohei Ohtani that made him the first player in major league history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season sold for nearly $4.4 million. It set a record for the sale of any sports ball.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The Washington Nationals will have the No. 1 overall pick in the amateur draft next summer after winning the lottery in a drawing of ping-pong balls at the winter meetings Tuesday.

Unlike last year, when the Nationals were ineligible after initially coming out with the top spot, they will get to make the first pick in July in Atlanta, the site of the All-Star Game.

Washington was ineligible for a top-six pick last year because the collective bargaining agreement states a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan cannot have a lottery selection in back-to-back years. The Nationals chose outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 2 pick in 2023.

The Los Angeles Angels have the second pick for next summer. Seattle, Colorado, St. Louis and Pittsburgh round out the top six.

A weighted lottery among the 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs this season determined the order of picks for the third year in a row.

The Nationals went in with a 10.2% chance, the fourth-best odds, for getting the No. 1 pick. Colorado and Miami, both 100-loss teams, had the best odds at 22.45%, ahead of the Angels at 17.96%.

Miami instead ended up with the seventh pick.

Seattle got the No. 3 overall pick after having a 0.53% chance to get the No. 1 pick, the second-worst odds among 16 eligible teams.

The 121-loss Chicago White Sox, who had the most losses of any major league club since 1900, were not eligible for the draft lottery since they had one of the top six picks last year (No. 5) and is a team that pays into the revenue-sharing plan.

The CBA also doesn’t allow teams that receive money in revenue sharing to have lottery picks three years in a row. That made the Athletics (69-93) ineligible for the lottery — they picked fourth last year after having the No. 6 selection in 2023.

Chicago instead got the 10th pick, one spot ahead of Oakland — the highest possible positions for those two teams because of their recent lottery picks.

Full MLB Draft lottery

1. 1. Washington Nationals
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Colorado Rockies
5.  St. Louis Cardinals
6.  Pittsburgh Pirates
7. Miami Marlins
8. Toronto Blue Jays
9. Cincinnati Reds
10. Chicago White Sox
11. Athletics
12. Texas Rangers
13. San Francisco Giants
14. Tampa Bay Rays
15. Boston Red Sox
16. Minnesota Twins

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Max Fried and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $218 million, eight-year contract, the largest deal for a left-handed pitcher in baseball history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the agreement, first reported by ESPN, was subject to a successful physical.

New York made the move two days after outfielder Juan Soto left for a pending $765 million, 15-year contract with the rival Mets.

[2025 MLB free-agent signing and trade tracker]

Fried, who turns 31 in January, gets the fourth-highest contract among pitchers behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($325 million), the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole ($324 million) and Washington’s Stephen Strasburg ($245 million), who hasn’t pitched since 2022 and has retired. Fried broke the mark for lefties set by David Price at $217 million.

Fried joins a potential rotation that already included Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman.

Fried spent his first eight seasons with the Braves, making the All-Star team in 2022 and 2024. He had his first big season in 2019, finishing 17-6 with a 4.02 ERA.

He was 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting. The three-time Gold Glove winner had his best season in 2022, going 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA.

Fried was 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA in an injury-hampered 2023 season, then was 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA over 29 starts this year.

The right-hander was the seventh overall pick in the 2012 amateur draft by San Diego and was traded in a 2014 in the deal that sent Justin Upton to San Diego.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Nolan Arenado is open to a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, at age 33, wanting to be on a World Series contender.

“It’s like his biological clock is ticking,” agent Joel Wolfe said Tuesday at the winter meetings. “And if the team’s not winning it’s driving him crazy every day, every night all through the offseason. And he takes it so personal, like it’s all on him.”

An eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove third baseman, Arenado is open to a switch to first base. He hit .272 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs this year, his poorest season in a decade.

St. Louis acquired Arenado from Colorado ahead of the 2021 season, lost at the wild-card round in his first two years, then failed to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

“The Cardinals are changing direction, which is fine. All teams do that,” Wolfe said. “So if that’s the way it is and they’ve said it might be beneficial to move you and they were open and communicated about it, he’s like: ‘I get it. Let’s just try and find a place where they’re in a different place,’ where he could just jump in and help the team go to the next level.”

Arenado has played 1,629 games in the field during his big league career, all at third base. He won Gold Gloves from 2013-22, matching Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki for winning the award in his first 10 seasons.

Arenado told Cardinals president baseball operations John Mozeliak he is open to a position switch.

“If it would make Mo’s job easier to get to the right team, Nolan is more than willing to move around,” Wolfe said, quoting his client as saying, “‘I’m not insulted to go play first and I can win a Gold Glove over there if that’s what it takes.'”

“He wanted to be just the first to offer that so that Mo could tell other teams that,” Wolfe said.

Arenado has a .285 career average with 341 homers and 1,132 RBIs for the Cardinals and Colorado Rockies. He is owed $74 million for the final three seasons of a contract paying him $275 million over nine years.

He has a full no-trade provision, giving him the ability to decide his destination.

“It’s more of just an ongoing discussion of: Would you be OK with this team? Would you be OK with that team?” Wolfe said. “We don’t want to waste Mo’s time and there some hard nos of where he would prefer not to go and things like that. It’s been somewhat dynamic in the discussion about how that works.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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These were Juan Soto’s numbers in 2024: 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, a .288 batting average.

Keep doing that over the next 15 years, and he’ll be making roughly $1.2 million for every home run. Or $467,890 for every RBI. Or $307,229 for every hit.

(Pre-tax, of course.)

Soto’s $765 million, 15-year agreement with the New York Mets — the richest contract in terms of total value to a player in U.S. major sports history, a massive move by billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen — provides a chance to look at the numbers in some very silly ways.

He’ll make $314,815 per game. Based on his numbers this season, he’d get $671,053 for every extra-base hit. Or $46,322 every time he swings the bat — no matter if he misses, hits a tapper back to the mound or has Mr. Met celebrating in the stands after driving one out at Citi Field. Of course, that’s assuming Soto remains as healthy and productive as he was in 2024. If he misses significant time, those rates just go up.

“Thank you Uncle Steve,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo wrote on social media.

[Read more: Ten biggest contracts in MLB history: Juan Soto’s $765 million with Mets tops list]

Some of the numbers around the sports world, when broken down by accomplishment, are simply eye-popping in this era. (And keep in mind, these examples are based on current earnings, not taking into account restructurings or any other potential changes.)

A look:

The two-time Cy Young winner will earn about $65 million in 2025, most of which is a signing bonus that comes his way in January. He has also never made more than 32 starts in a season. If he makes 32 starts in 2025, he’d be getting (when factoring in the signing bonus) $2,031,250 per game. For comparison’s sake, Detroit’s Tarik Skubal made $2.65 million for the entire 2024 season — and won a Cy Young award.

His record $700 million deal is no longer a record because of the Soto deal, but Ohtani still holds the mark for average total value at $70 million a year. The only member of baseball’s 50-50 club (54 homers, 59 stolen bases in 2024) would — at this past season’s rate — be making $619,469 every time he hits one out or steals a base.

It’s unfair to break down his stats this year because he’s hurt, but Prescott’s current deal is worth an average of $60 million a season from Dallas. Based on his career average, that means over the lifetime of his current contract, Prescott gets $13,680 for every passing yard.

NFL: Quarterbacks in general

The per-game numbers in the NFL for starting QBs are wild. Patrick Mahomes’ current $450 million contract isn’t even at the top of the cash-per-game standings: Prescott gets about $3.5 million for every regular-season game, while Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Green Bay’s Jordan Love are around $3.25 million/game.

At nearly $56 million this season, Curry leads the NBA salary race (for this year, anyway). The NBA’s all-time 3-point king is earning about $680,000 per game in 2024-25; if he was paid by the 3-pointer only, he’d be getting about $161,908 every time he makes one of those this season.

Brown is starting a five-year deal worth around $285 million, Tatum will start a five-year deal next year worth around $314 million. At those rates, the Celtics would be paying their two best players (at their current scoring paces) around $27,406 for every point scored. To compare — Larry Bird, for his career, made about $1,100 per point.

Based just on his MLS-guaranteed salary, Messi got just over $1 million per goal this season ($20.4 million, 20 goals). Again, just counting the MLS salary — his full deal with Inter Miami is worth at least $150 million for 2.5 years — Messi made $229 for every second he was on the field during the 2024 regular season.

Scheffler’s official earnings in 2024 were $29,228,357 (plus an Olympic gold medal, which is priceless). And that doesn’t include $34,037,500 million in bonuses and unofficial earnings, including $25 million for winning the FedExCup. Add it all up, and that meant the world’s No. 1 player earned about $11,243 per shot he took this season.

He’ll start a contract next year that will pay him an average of $14 million a season over eight seasons. At his current rate of scoring, he’d be earning roughly $119,393 for every goal or assist over that span.

Shesterkin just got the richest extension for a goalie, $92 million over eight years. At his current averages, every time he makes a save, he’ll be earning $5,084.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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