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Major League Baseball is no longer the most popular professional sports league in America, but its players make more money compared to NFL, NHL and NBA players.
Sure, many NFL stars land deals worth $100 million-plus, but not every penny of it is guaranteed. Only a handful of NHL players ink deals that pay them $10 million annually, while the vast majority NBA stars can only dream about signing $200 million contracts.
If you're a perennial MLB All-Star, the chances are high that you'll receive a contract of $200-plus million. Just take a look at the giant paydays that these 10 free agents received.
10. David Price ($217 Million)
Cy Young winning pitcher David Price had a well-documented rivalry with the Boston Red Sox - namely franchise icon David Ortiz. Nonetheless, he agreed to come to Beantown on a seven-year, $217 million deal that was signed in the 2015 offseason.
The Red Sox have received mixed results with Price up to this point. He's been sidelined with injuries in two of his four years there, but he did help them win the 2018 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
At the time, Price's deal stood as the richest ever for an MLB pitcher, but it has since been surpassed twice. More on that later.
9. Robinson Cano ($240 Million)
The Seattle Mariners haven't been big spenders in free agency throughout the years, but ownership decided to break open the vault in the 2014 offseason. They inked former New York Yankees All-Star Robinson Cano to a whopping 10-year, $240 million contract.
For the most part, Cano performed pretty well in the Pacific Northwest. He compiled a .296 batting average and .826 OPS, along with 107 home runs and 411 RBI. But the Mariners opted to rebuild after the 2018 campaign, and they sent Cano and stud closer Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets in a massive offseason blockbuster trade.
8. Albert Pujols ($240 Million)
Albert Pujols was arguably the best player in all of baseball during his tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals. The three-time NL MVP and perennial All-Star led the Cards to World Series Championships in 2006 and 2011.
After the team's second championship, however, Pujols opted to chase the money - signing a 10-year, $240 million with the Los Angeles Angels.It should be noted that Cano's aforementioned deal was also for $240 million, but we decided to place Pujols ahead sine he's made far more in career earnings.
7. Anthony Rendon ($245 Million)
Less than two months after he guided the Washington Nationals to their first ever World Series championship, All-Star third baseman Anthony Rendon left the nation's capital for the west coast.
The Angels signed Rendon to a ginormous seven-year contract worth $245 million, narrowly surpassing the paychecks that Pujols and Cano received. Now, we wait and see if Rendon can help the Angels reach the promised land following a frustrating 2010s decade for the franchise.
6. Stephen Strasburg ($245 Million)
Like Rendon, Stephen Strasburg was instrumental in leading the Nationals past the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series. The two superstars were awarded identical seven-year deals worth $245 million. The only difference? Strasburg stayed in DC.
The only reason we placed Strasburg ahead of Rendon is because he's made considerably more money up to this stage in his career. Now, we'll see if Strasburg can continue to perform as an All-Star ace for the Nationals - who manage their money better than most other clubs.
5. Alex Rodriguez ($252 Million)
Alex Rodriguez was supposed to be a key part of the Seattle Mariners' long-term future, but they ultimately couldn't pay a king's ransom to keep the young phenom around. Instead, A-Rod signed with the rival Texas Rangers on a 10-year worth a jaw-dropping $252 million.
This was far and away the highest contract signed in North American professional sports at the time. The Rangers got tremendous value out of Rodriguez, but they simply weren't able to win much despite his many talents. He was traded to the New York Yankees before the start of the 2004 season - where Rodriguez would join the finest stretch of his career.
4. Alex Rodriguez ($275 Million)
Following his third AL MVP season, Rodriguez made the wise decision to opt of his contract with the New York Yankees in 2007. The Bronx Bombers then ponied up $275 million to retain A-Rod for 10 more seasons.
It was a lot of money to commit to a veteran player on the wrong side of 30, but the Yankees wouldn't regret it much. He led them to a 2009 World Series championship, though injuries, suspensions and poor play made the final half of that 10-year deal a big-time waste of money.
But it's the Yankees! They don't care about money.
3. Manny Machado ($300 Million)
Manny Machado didn't wind up re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers after helping them reach the 2018 World Series. Instead, the All-Star infielder signed a mammoth 10-year deal worth $300 million with the San Diego Padres - who have never been known for their big spending in free agency.
For a very short period, this made Machado the highest paid free agent in MLB history. That didn't last long, however, as another perennial All-Star surpassed Machado by a pretty wide margin.
2. Gerrit Cole ($324 Million)
Coming off one of the most dominant pitcher seasons of the 21st century, Gerrit Cole left the Houston Astros to ink a record-setting deal with the rival New York Yankees. Cole agreed to a mega nine-year deal worth $324 million - making him the richest pitcher in history.
The deep-pocketed Yankees spent several years in avoiding big-dollar free agents, but they couldn't pass on Cole. They obviously view him as the missing $324 million piece of a potential championship puzzle.
1. Bryce Harper ($330 Million)
After seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, 2015 NL MVP and All-Star right fielder Bryce Harper left for greener pastures - inking a 13-year deal worth $330 million with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies.
Not only is this the richest free agent contract ever, but it briefly stood as the biggest deal in MLB history before Mike Trout inked a $426.5 million extension with the Angels. But hey, Harper shall never complain about a whopping $330 million paycheck that may never be topped in free agency.