Shohei Ohtani is the highest-paid MLB player as of November 2026, with a Los Angeles Dodgers contract worth $70 million a year on paper. This ranking orders active players by the average annual value (AAV) of their current contract, the headline number a deal is built on, and leaves endorsements out of the figure. Where deferred money or signing bonuses change what a player is actually handed this season, we say so in the entry.
Baseball has no salary cap, which is why the gap at the top is so wide: Ohtani’s average is almost double the $36 million that gets you into tenth place. Three of the ten play for the Dodgers, and two of the top three are teammates in the same outfield and lineup.
| Rank | Name | Team | Pay per year (AAV, USD) | Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gerrit Cole | New York Yankees | $36 million | 9 years, $324 million |
| 9 | Blake Snell | Los Angeles Dodgers | $36.4 million | 5 years, $182 million |
| 8 | Jacob deGrom | Texas Rangers | $37 million | 5 years, $185 million |
| 7 | Framber Valdez | Detroit Tigers | about $38.3 million | 3 years, about $115 million |
| 6 | Aaron Judge | New York Yankees | $40 million | 9 years, $360 million |
| 5 | Zack Wheeler | Philadelphia Phillies | $42 million | 3 years, $126 million |
| 4 | Bo Bichette | New York Mets | $42 million | 3 years, about $126 million |
| 3 | Juan Soto | New York Mets | $51 million | 15 years, $765 million |
| 2 | Kyle Tucker | Los Angeles Dodgers | $60 million | 4 years, $240 million |
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers | $70 million | 10 years, $700 million |
AAV is total contract value divided by years, before any discount for deferred money. Wheeler and Bichette are tied at $42 million.
10. Gerrit Cole: $36 million
Before Ohtani rewrote the scale, Gerrit Cole held the record. His nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees in December 2019 was the biggest contract ever handed to a pitcher, and for a few years it looked like the ceiling for anyone who throws for a living.
The right-hander has earned plenty of that money: he won the American League Cy Young Award in 2023, and he started Game 1 of the 2024 World Series for New York. He still sits inside the top ten seven seasons into the deal, which says a lot about how far ahead of the market the Yankees were in 2019.
His place comes from the original nine-year terms, which run through 2028.
9. Blake Snell: $36.4 million
Blake Snell is one of only a handful of pitchers to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues, first with Tampa Bay in 2018 and then with San Diego in 2023. That résumé turned into a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers in late 2024.
The fine print is pure Dodgers: a large chunk of the money is deferred, so the present-day value is lower than the sticker suggests. He was part of the rotation that won the 2025 World Series.
We used the nominal average of $36.4 million, the figure every contract table lists for him.
8. Jacob deGrom: $37 million
Two Cy Young Awards with the Mets, in 2018 and 2019, made Jacob deGrom the pitcher every scout wanted to talk about. Texas paid accordingly in December 2022, giving him five years and $185 million at age 34.
The Rangers won the 2022-23 offseason headline war with that signing, and they won the 2023 World Series the following autumn. deGrom is now one of the oldest players on this list, and his deal runs through 2027 with an option behind it.
Divide $185 million by five and you get the $37 million that puts him here.
7. Framber Valdez: $38.3 million
Valdez built his name in Houston as a ground-ball machine, a left-hander who keeps the ball off the barrel and pitches deep into games. He threw a no-hitter against Cleveland in 2023 and helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series.
His 2026 move to Detroit was one of the big pitching signings of last winter. The Tigers committed about $115 million over three years, a short, rich deal built to win now.
The average is roughly $38.3 million, taken from the reported three-year total.
6. Aaron Judge: $40 million
The Yankees captain famously turned down a seven-year extension in spring 2022, bet on himself, then hit 62 home runs to set the American League record. That December, Aaron Judge signed for nine years and $360 million.
He has been an MVP-level hitter almost every season since, winning the award in 2022 and again in 2024. Judge does a modest amount of endorsement work for a player of his profile, so nearly all of his income comes from the Yankees.
The $40 million is a straight split of $360 million over nine seasons.
5. Zack Wheeler: $42 million
Wheeler arrived in Philadelphia in 2020 on a five-year deal that many fans thought was an overpay. It turned into one of the best signings of the decade, and in March 2024 the Phillies added a three-year, $126 million extension that started in 2025.
At signing, that made him the highest-paid pitcher in the game by average value. He has finished second in Cy Young voting more than once and has been the steady front of a rotation that reaches the playoffs year after year.
His extension pays exactly $42 million a season through 2027, and he ties Bichette on that figure.
4. Bo Bichette: $42 million
Bichette spent his whole career in Toronto, a two-time hits leader in the American League and a steady presence at shortstop, before free agency took him across the border. The Mets signed him in early 2026 to a short, expensive deal reported at about $126 million over three years, with a chance to opt out after each season. He passed on the first one in late October 2026, so the $42 million stays on the Mets’ books for 2027.
It gives New York two of the four richest averages in baseball. The opening day payroll study for 2026 put the Mets at the top of the sport in spending, and Bichette’s contract is a big reason why.
His $42 million matches Wheeler to the dollar and the three-year totals are the same, so the two are tied; Bichette is listed first only because his deal is the more recent one.
3. Juan Soto: $51 million
In December 2024, Juan Soto signed the largest contract in the history of professional sports: 15 years and $765 million with the Mets, with no deferred money. It included a $75 million signing bonus.
That bonus is why Soto has been the highest-paid player in actual cash for two straight seasons. The 2026 opening day study put his salary at about $61.9 million once the bonus is spread across the deal. He reached the majors at 19 and won a World Series with Washington in 2019, so he was already a star when he hit free agency at 26.
On average value, $765 million over 15 years works out to $51 million.
2. Kyle Tucker: $60 million
The top free agent of last winter picked the team that kept winning. Kyle Tucker agreed to a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers in January 2026, saying the chance to chase a third straight title made the choice easier.
It is a short contract with a huge annual number. About $30 million is deferred, paid in installments from 2036 to 2045, which brings the present-day value closer to $57.1 million a year. That discounted figure still beat Soto’s record. Tucker can also opt out after the second and third seasons, which means he could be back on the market before he turns 31.
His nominal average of $60 million comes straight from the four-year, $240 million total.
1. Shohei Ohtani: $70 million
Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023, and then did something no superstar had done before: he deferred $680 million of it. He collects just $2 million a year in salary until the deal ends, with the rest paid out from 2034 onward.
He can afford to wait. Ohtani is the most marketable player in baseball by a distance, with sponsors spread across Japan and the United States, and his endorsement income is widely estimated at around $100 million a year, more than any salary on this list. On the field, he won back-to-back National League MVP awards in 2024 and 2025 and was part of two World Series winners with the Dodgers.
The headline average is $70 million; because of the deferrals, the league values the deal at about $46 million a year for luxury tax purposes, which we note but do not use to rank him.
Just outside the top 10
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays: his 14-year, $500 million extension began in 2026 and averages about $35.7 million. The opening day study put his 2026 salary near $40.2 million.
- Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: the 12-year, $426.5 million deal from 2019 averages about $35.5 million. Mike Trout held the AAV record for years before the Ohtani and Soto contracts.
- Corbin Burnes, Arizona Diamondbacks: six years and $210 million, or $35 million a season.
- Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees: his 2026 cash salary was about $42.5 million thanks to front-loaded money, even though his contract’s annual average is lower.
Why paper salary and real cash differ in baseball
MLB lets teams defer salary for years, even decades, and the Dodgers have turned it into a strategy. The 2026 opening day payroll study found that discounting deferred money cut the Dodgers’ payroll from about $395 million to about $317 million. A dollar paid in 2040 is worth less than a dollar now, so the league discounts it.
The reverse happens with signing bonuses. Soto’s $75 million bonus pushes his yearly cash above his contract average. That is why one list can call Soto the best-paid player and another can call Ohtani the best-paid player, and both are telling the truth.
What the highest-paid MLB players have in common
- Pitchers make up half the list. Cole, Snell, deGrom, Valdez and Wheeler all crack the top ten, and four of them have won or finished near the top of Cy Young voting.
- Short deals pay more per year. Tucker, Bichette, Valdez and Wheeler all took three or four years, trading security for a higher annual number.
- New York and Los Angeles dominate. Seven of the ten play in one of the two biggest markets in the country.
- The deferral era is here. Ohtani, Tucker and Snell all pushed money into the future, which lets the Dodgers stack stars without the payroll showing it all at once.
FAQ
Who is the highest-paid MLB player in 2026?
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with a contract averaging $70 million a year. Measured by actual 2026 cash salary, Juan Soto led at about $61.9 million.
How much does the 10th highest-paid MLB player make?
Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees averages $36 million a year on his nine-year, $324 million contract.
What is the biggest contract in MLB history?
Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets, signed in December 2024, is the largest by total value. Ohtani’s $700 million deal is second.
How much does Shohei Ohtani actually get paid each year?
Ohtani takes $2 million a year in salary and defers $680 million until after the contract ends. His endorsements are widely estimated at about $100 million a year.
Who is the highest-paid pitcher in MLB?
Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies, whose three-year, $126 million extension pays $42 million a year.
Do these figures include endorsements?
No. The ranking uses contract value only. Endorsements, such as Ohtani’s long list of sponsors, are extra.
How we ranked pay
Our rankings are based on public contract reporting, team and school disclosures, and salary databases, all compiled in an internal pay model. Unless we say otherwise, we rank by the average annual value of each current contract and leave endorsements out of the number. Figures are approximate and can change quickly as new deals are signed.
Keep reading
- Earned income vs capital gains: why high salaries pay more tax
- How rich people get paid forever
- Lessons you learn after your first big win
Last updated: November 2026.
