Pete Alonso, Cody Bellinger and the Next 10 Players to Sign $100+ Million Contracts
Another MLB offseason is fast approaching, and that means a fresh crop of players across baseball will be joining the $100 million club with new contracts this winter.
Last offseason, there were a staggering 14 nine-figure deals handed out via free agency and in-house extensions:
- Aaron Judge, NYY: nine years, $360 million
- Manny Machado, SD: 11 years, $350 million
- Rafael Devers, BOS: 10 years, $313.5 million
- Trea Turner, PHI: 11 years, $300 million
- Xander Bogaerts, SD: 11 years, $280 million
- Carlos Correa, MIN: six years, $200 million
- Jacob deGrom, TEX: five years, $185 million
- Dansby Swanson, CHC: seven years, $177 million
- Carlos Rodón, NYY: six years, $162 million
- Brandon Nimmo, NYM: eight years, $162 million
- Corbin Carroll, ARI: eight years, $111 million
- Yu Darvish, SD: six years, $108 million
- Andrés Giménez, CLE: seven years, $106.5 million
- Edwin Díaz, NYM: five years, $102 million
So who will be the next wave of stars to sign on the dotted line and join the ever-growing list of $100 million contracts?
Ahead we've predicted the next 10 players to sign nine-figure deals, with a mix of players who are free agents this offseason, players who are free agents the following offseason and early extension candidates.
1B Pete Alonso
1 of 10
What comes next for Pete Alonso will serve as a microcosm of the New York Mets' plans for the near future, as the slugging first baseman is staring down free agency following the 2024 season, and the front office is at a crossroads following a disappointing campaign.
If the plan is to push for contention once again next season, extending one of the game's best power hitters and a homegrown star should be a top priority. As it stands, he earned $14.5 million in 2023 and is projected for a $22 million salary in his final year of arbitration.
However, if the Mets are more focused on two or three years down the road, trading Alonso now and ultimately avoiding paying for his post-prime seasons would be the most prudent course of action.
The 28-year-old posted a 122 OPS+ with 46 home runs and 118 RBI in 2023, and while that type of production would make any lineup better, he is also not as complete of an all-around player as guys like Matt Olson (eight years, $168 million) and Freddie Freeman (six years, $162 million) who recently signed long-term deals of their own.
The five-year, $100 million deal that Nick Castellanos signed with the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the 2022 season might be a better comparison, and while Alonso is two years younger than Castellanos was when he signed that contract, he provides a similar profile as a player whose value comes almost exclusively from what he does in the batter's box.
Contract Prediction: Six years, $135 million
1B/OF Cody Bellinger
2 of 10
Cody Bellinger made himself a ton of money during the 2023 season.
After struggling to a 66 OPS+ and minus-0.5 WAR during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the 2019 NL MVP saw his career hit bottom last offseason when he was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of his final year of arbitration eligibility.
The Chicago Cubs rolled the dice with a one-year, $12.5 million deal that includes a matching $12.5 million mutual option and $5 million buyout for 2024, and he hit .307/.356/.525 for a 133 OPS+ with 29 doubles, 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 20 steals and 4.4 WAR.
The 28-year-old is a lock to decline his end of that mutual option in search of a lucrative long-term deal, and outside of Shohei Ohtani, he is the best power-hitting threat available in free agency this winter.
The question now is whether the Cubs will make a serious push to re-sign him, or if his inconsistent performance over the past few years will be reason enough for them to let someone else pay him.
The deals that George Springer (six years, $150 million) and Kris Bryant (seven years, $182 million) signed could help set his AAV somewhere in the $25-26 million range, and trimming a year or two off the length of those contracts would provide some long-term protection to teams skeptical of his track record.
Contract Prediction: Five years, $125 million
RHP Corbin Burnes
3 of 10
Since his first full season in the Milwaukee Brewers rotation in 2021, Corbin Burnes has unquestionably been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball.
During that three-year stretch, he ranks among the MLB leaders in pitching WAR (12.8, seventh), ERA (2.94, seventh), WHIP (0.99, fourth) and strikeouts (677, second), and he is likely headed for a fourth straight top-10 finish in NL Cy Young voting.
Now the question is where he will be pitching in 2024 and beyond?
The 28-year-old is headed for his final year of arbitration eligibility, and a long-term extension in Milwaukee seems unlikely after the front office damaged its relationship with him over $740,000 at his arbitration hearing last winter.
Whether he departs in free agency after the 2024 season or is traded this offseason and signs a long-term extension with his new team, a big payday is coming his way some time in the not-too-distant future.
He will reach free agency one year older than Gerrit Cole was when he signed his nine-year, $324 million deal with the New York Yankees. That sort of payday might be out of reach, but he could aim to overtake Stephen Strasburg's seven-year, $245 million deal for the second-largest contract ever given to a pitcher.
Contract Prediction: Seven years, $252 million
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3B Matt Chapman
4 of 10
Third baseman Matt Chapman has been a 3-WAR player in every full season of his career, including a 2023 campaign in which he posted a 108 OPS+ with 39 doubles, 17 home runs, 54 RBI and 4.4 WAR in 140 games.
However, it's his elite defense that has driven his value throughout his career, and he has been one of baseball's best defensive players since he debuted in 2017:
- Mookie Betts: 99 DRS
- Matt Chapman: 92 DRS
- Nolan Arenado: 91 DRS
- Kevin Kiermaier: 88 DRS
- Andrelton Simmons: 83 DRS
As a Gold Glove-caliber third baseman with 30-homer power entering his age-31 season, he should be one of the most sought-after players on the market, and a five-year, $100 million deal might be his earning floor.
Contract Prediction: Six years, $126 million
LHP Josh Hader
5 of 10
Aside from a hiccup during the second half of the 2022 season that was immediately followed by an elite postseason run, Josh Hader has been one of the most dominant relievers in MLB history throughout his career.
The 29-year-old converted 33 of 38 save opportunities with a 1.28 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 13.6 K/9 in 61 appearances with the San Diego Padres this season, earning his fifth All-Star selection.
He has 165 saves with an 86.8 percent success rate over seven seasons, and with a mid-90s sinker and a lethal slider that generated a 51.7 percent whiff rate in 2023, his stuff is every bit as overpowering as it was during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers.
It's not hard to pinpoint the contract he will be looking for in free agency.
New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz inked a record-setting five-year, $102 million contract last offseason, and Hader will undoubtedly be looking to overtake him as the highest-paid reliever in MLB history.
Contract Prediction: Five years, $105 million
RHP Aaron Nola
6 of 10
Since breaking out during the 2017 season, Aaron Nola has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, yet he is rarely mentioned among the game's elite starters. Here's where he ranks among all starting pitchers in WAR during that span:
- Max Scherzer: 37.0 WAR
- Gerrit Cole: 32.3 WAR
- Aaron Nola: 30.4 WAR
- Jacob deGrom: 30.3 WAR
- Justin Verlander: 30.0 WAR
- Zack Wheeler: 26.6 WAR
- Clayton Kershaw: 23.2 WAR
The 30-year-old had a good-not-great 4.46 ERA in 193.2 innings during the regular season, but strong starts in the NL Wild Card Series (W, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER) and NLDS (W, 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER) have solidified his standing as one of the top-tier starters on the upcoming market.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Nola was seeking an eight-year deal worth north of $200 million in extension talks, while the Phillies preferred a four- or five-year deal.
While it remains to be seen if he will be able to negotiate his way to that $200 million figure, he will have no problem reeling in a nine-figure contract, and he will likely aim to at least surpass the six-year, $162 million deal that Carlos Rodón received from the New York Yankees
Contract Prediction: Six years, $180 million
DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani
7 of 10
Shohei Ohtani was a virtual lock to sign the largest contract in MLB history before he underwent elbow surgery in September that will likely keep him off the mound for the entire 2024 season. He had already undergone Tommy John surgery in his career, making his long-term future on the mound cloudy after this second major arm issue.
That said, he remains one of the most marketable players in the sport, and on offensive production alone he is still an MVP candidate. That should be enough to still make him a lock to receive a nine-figure deal that will blow past the $100 million mark.
The 29-year-old hit .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs and an AL-leading 184 OPS+ in 135 games in 2023, and he has a 148 OPS+ for his career and 19.6 WAR offensively in six seasons.
It's reasonable to expect the nine-year, $360 million deal that Aaron Judge signed last offseason to be a topic of discussion, and Ohtani's potential impact on the mound once he gets healthy should help him surpass that contract in terms of annual value.
His free agency will be the biggest storyline of the offseason.
Contract Prediction: Eight years, $320 million plus incentives for innings pitched
C Adley Rutschman
8 of 10
On a list filled with upcoming free agents, this is the boldest prediction by far.
Catcher Adley Rutschman will not even be arbitration-eligible for the first time until after the 2024 season, and he is under club control through the 2027 season, so there is no rush to extend him on the part of the Baltimore Orioles.
That said, it's never easy to find a true franchise catcher, and he has quickly established himself as that guy while racking up 9.6 WAR during his first two seasons in the big leagues.
The 25-year-old hit .277/.374/.435 for a 128 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 80 RBI, 84 runs scored and 4.3 WAR in 2023, earning the All-Star Game start behind the plate and leading a young pitching staff with his terrific defense.
Teams signing rising young stars to long-term extensions is nothing new, but there are very few examples of that happening with a catcher, especially one who has quickly become one of the elite players at the position.
Joe Mauer (eight years, $184 million), Buster Posey (nine years, $167 million) and J.T. Realmuto (five years, $115.5 million) are the only catchers in MLB history who have signed nine-figure contracts.
Boston Red Sox star Rafael Devers just signed a 10-year, $313.5 million at the same age Rutschman will be this offseason, though he was also three years closer to reaching free agency at the time.
All of that's to say that a Rutschman extension has no clear comparison to draw from, but the Orioles exploring a long-term deal this winter makes a ton of sense, and it would be a huge investment.
Contract Prediction: 10 years, $238 million
LHP Blake Snell
9 of 10
Left-hander Blake Snell is on his way to becoming the seventh pitcher in MLB history to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues, joining Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer.
The 30-year-old finished 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 234 strikeouts in 180 innings, and he really hit his stride after a slow start with a 1.23 ERA in 21 starts from June 1 through the end of the regular season.
However, he also issued an MLB-high 99 walks, walking a tightrope for much of the year thanks to an 86.7 percent strand rate that led all qualified starting pitchers by a wide margin and was well above his 78.2 percent career mark.
That makes him a bit riskier than the average reigning Cy Young winner when it comes to free agency, but for comparison's sake, he has a far better career track record than Robbie Ray, who signed a five-year, $115 million deal with the Seattle Mariners after he won 2021 AL Cy Young honors.
Snell is a year older than Ray was when he signed that contract, but the same length with a slightly higher AAV is a reasonable expectation for his earning power.
Contract Prediction: Five years, $125 million
OF Juan Soto
10 of 10
Similar to Corbin Burnes, a nine-figure payday is going to be coming to Juan Soto in the near future, whether it's a new deal with the San Diego Padres, a quick extension following a trade this offseason, or a clean start in free agency following the 2024 season.
The Padres were one baseball's most disappointing teams this year, but Soto had a terrific individual season, hitting .275/.410/.519 for a 158 OPS+ with 32 doubles, 35 home runs, 109 RBI and 5.6 WAR while playing in all 162 games.
The 24-year-old has a $33 million projected salary for his final year of arbitration, and with the Padres actively looking to cut payroll this winter, trading him could be viewed as a necessary move to better position the club for future success.
The fact that Soto doesn't turn 25 years old until later this month is hard to believe considering he has already compiled 28.7 WAR across six MLB seasons, and his age will be a huge boon to his earning power.
He will reach free agency at the same age that Bryce Harper did when he signed his 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, and considering salaries have continued to climb since that contract was signed in February 2019, a $400 million deal is not out of the question.
Contract Prediction: 12 years, $360 million
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