Juan Soto, Tarik Skubal and the Next 10 Players to Sign $100 Million-Plus Contracts (2025)

With another MLB offseason right around the corner, a fresh crop of players across baseball will be joining the $100 million club with new contracts this winter.

Last offseason, there were seven nine-figure deals handed out via free agency and in-house extensions:

That was down from a staggering 14 such contracts handed out during the 2022-23 offseason, which was headlined by Aaron Judge's nine-year, $360 million deal to stay with the New York Yankees.

So, who will be among 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 names who are free agents this offseason, free agents the following offseason and early extension candidates.

Let's start with a few different categories of honorable mentions to paint a larger picture of the potential $100 million landscape.

SP Jack Flaherty
OF Teoscar Hernández
IF Ha-Seong Kim
SP Sean Manaea
OF Tyler O'Neill
OF Anthony Santander

None of these upcoming free agents are a lock for a $100 million deal, but all are at least in the conversation for that type of payday.

Teoscar Hernández and Anthony Santander both offer similar profiles to Nick Castellanos when he inked a five-year, $100 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies as offensive-minded outfielders with middle-of-the-order run production ability.

Jack Flaherty and Sean Manaea both pitched like frontline starters after signing one-year deals last offseason, and the former has the added appeal of just turning 29 years old a few days ago. He is the most likely from this group to join the $100 million club.

Versatile infielder Ha-Seong Kim is the best available shortstop option outside of Willy Adames, and he quietly racked up 15.3 WAR over the course of his four-year contract with the San Diego Padres.

The biggest long shot from this group is Tyler O'Neill given his lengthy injury history, but he is one of the younger players in the class at 29 years old and coming off a season in which he launched 31 home runs in 473 plate appearances.

OF Cody Bellinger
SP Gerrit Cole
SP Blake Snell

After taking a step backward relative to his 2023 rebound campaign, Cody Bellinger might be best served opting into his $27.5 million salary for the 2025 season and running it back with the Chicago Cubs. The 29-year-old is a long shot for a $100 million deal this winter, but he's at least worth mentioning.

Blake Snell had a rocky start to the 2024 season, but from July 9 through the end of the year, he went 5-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 80.1 innings, limiting opposing hitters to a .123 batting average. There's no reason he shouldn't secure $100 million this time around if agent Scott Boras can get out of his own way.

The biggest wild card here is Gerrit Cole, who can opt out of the final four years and $144 million of his current deal. However, the Yankees can void his opt-out by adding a $36 million salary in 2029 to the back end of his deal, in what would be his age-38 season.

2B Luis Arraez
SS Bo Bichette
SP Dylan Cease
SP Zac Gallen
SP Michael King
SP Ranger Suárez
OF Kyle Tucker
SP Framber Valdez

These are the headliners of the 2025-26 free-agent class—along with one notable player who was included in our extension predictions—and with a chance to test the open market on the horizon, an extension has become far less likely.

The Houston Astros might have to pick between Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez, especially if they re-up with Alex Bregman this winter. The Washington Nationals faced a similar decision with Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg after their World Series win in 2019.

Michael King and Ranger Suárez might be more likely to land in the $70-80 million range on new deals, while Dylan Cease and Zac Gallen are safe bets for $100 million-plus contracts and could use free agency to help secure the highest possible payday.

Luis Arraez has expressed interest in signing an extension with the Padres, but he is also not a lock to eclipse the $100 million mark given his somewhat one-dimensional skill set. The same is true of Bo Bichette after a disappointing, injury-plagued season, as he will likely need to rebuild his value in-season before setting his sights on that level of contract.

SS Elly De La Cruz, CIN
SS Gunnar Henderson, BAL
SS Zach Neto, LAA
SS Anthony Volpe, NYY
SS Masyn Winn, STL

Finding a young, everyday shortstop is not easy, and teams often move quickly to sign those potential franchise cornerstones to a long-term deal if there is mutual interest.

The Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies both hammered out long-term deals with Bobby Witt Jr. and Ezequiel Tovar last winter, and a few more young shortstops could follow suit this offseason.

Masyn Winn just put together a terrific 2024 rookie season and looks like a clear building block for a St. Louis Cardinals team at a crossroads, while Elly De La Cruz, Gunnar Henderson, Zach Neto and Anthony Volpe took a significant step forward in their second year in the big leagues.

They won't all sign long-term deals, but there's a good chance at least one of those five guys will be locked up long-term by the time 2025 Opening Day rolls around.

1B Triston Casas, BOS
C William Contreras, MIL
SP Garrett Crochet, CWS
OF Oneil Cruz, PIT
SP Logan Gilbert, SEA
OF Riley Greene, DET
SP Tanner Houck, BOS
SP George Kirby, SEA
OF Steven Kwan, CLE
OF Wyatt Langford, TEX
OF Jackson Merrill, SD
C Cal Raleigh, SEA
SP Joe Ryan, MIN
SP Justin Steele, CHC
OF James Wood, WAS

These players were all part of my preliminary list of logical potential $100 million extension candidates, and while they ultimately did not make the cut for the final list of 10, it would not be a surprise to see any of them ink a long-term pact this winter.

Left-hander Garrett Crochet might be the most intriguing name on this list, as he ended up staying with the Chicago White Sox at the deadline last year due in part to his demand for an extension on the other side of a potential trade. He is also the closest on this list to free agency with club control through 2026.

William Contreras, Logan Gilbert, Tanner Houck, Steven Kwan, Cal Raleigh, Joe Ryan and Justin Steele are all free agents after the 2027 season, so they could start to be more of a priority for their respective teams in the near future.

Age: 29

There are currently eight shortstops playing on $100 million contracts, and after a lull in that market last winter, Willy Adames is the clear top option this winter for teams looking to upgrade at the position.

He hit .251/.331/.462 for a 118 OPS+ this season while setting career-high marks in hits (153), doubles (33), home runs (32), RBI (112), runs scored (93) and stolen bases (21) while posting his fourth straight 3-WAR season.

Adames is the same age Trevor Story and Javier Báez were when they signed six-year, $140 million deals in free agency, and a few years down the road from those contracts, he could aim to slightly eclipse that payday.

Contract Prediction: Six years, $144 million

Age: 29

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, slugger Pete Alonso turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension offer from the New York Mets in June 2023.

That offer was structured to closely resemble the final seven seasons of the eight-year, $168 million extension Matt Olson signed with the Atlanta Braves, while Freddie Freeman's six-year, $162 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers was also part of the discussion.

Olson is a Gold Glove defender, while Freeman is one of the best contact hitters in the game with an offensive profile that should age well. Alonso does not provide the same secondary value those players do and his extremely power-centric game is one that generally does not age well, so it's hard to see a market where he commands anything beyond the extension offer he turned down.

Maybe the Mets offer him a bit more to help him save face, but if he doesn't re-sign with them, he might have to accept less than he left on the table in 2023.

Contract Prediction: Seven years, $160 million

Age: 30

Nailing down a potential contract figure for Alex Bregman is tricky.

He's older than Rafael Devers (26) and Austin Riley (25) were when they signed extensions north of $200 million, and he's not as accomplished as Manny Machado who inked a new 11-year, $350 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

He signed a five-year, $100 million extension with the Houston Astros when he was 25 years old, so he will likely be looking for a raise over the $20 million AAV of that deal, but he has also never matched the elite-level production he put up in 2019 prior to signing that extension.

The six-year, $151 million deal Matt Chapman signed with the San Francisco Giants in September is a relevant recent comp, though he is a year older than Bregman and coming off a better 2024 campaign.

A shorter deal at a higher AAV might be where he ultimately lands.

Contract Prediction: Five years, $150 million

Age: 29

Back in July, I wrote an article making 10 bold predictions for the second half of the 2024 MLB season, and one of those was a long-term extension for Corbin Burnes from the Baltimore Orioles.

The two sides did not end up coming together on a new contract, but the figure I floated in that article still makes sense as his potential earning power.

A seven-year, $255.5 million contract would give him a $36.5 million AAV, coming in just ahead of the $36 million AAV of Gerrit Cole's deal with the New York Yankees.

That number is a logical target for Burnes as a perennial Cy Young candidate and the top starting pitcher on the market, and if he prefers a long-term contract over a shorter deal with a higher AAV, he should be able to hit that mark.

Contract Prediction: Seven years, $255.5 million

Age: 30

There are some injury concerns surrounding Max Fried after he missed significant time in 2023 with a forearm strain, but even with that injury limiting him to only 14 starts that season, he has still been one of the most productive starters in baseball over the last five years.

Since the start of the 2020 season when he put together a breakout performance and finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting, he has gone 54-25 with a 2.81 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 624 strikeouts in 659 innings.

His 19.1 WAR during that five-year span trails only Zack Wheeler (25.4) and Gerrit Cole (19.9) among all pitchers, and that should help drive his value in free agency.

The six-year, $162 million deal Carlos Rodón signed with the New York Yankees looks like a reasonable comparison given his similar top-of-the-rotation upside, and Fried might be able to top that thanks to fewer injury red flags.

Contract Prediction: Six years, $168 million

Age: 25

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had his best season since finishing runner-up in 2021 AL MVP voting this past season, hitting .323/.396/.544 for a 196 OPS+ with 44 doubles, 30 home runs, 103 RBI and 6.2 WAR in 159 games.

Still only 25 years old, he is set to reach free agency following the 2025 season, and he has made it clear in the past he would prefer to stay in Toronto:

His asking price has no doubt climbed relative to where it was this time a year ago when he was coming off a good-not-great 2023 season. But after opting against trading him at the deadline, the Blue Jays seem poised to at least sit down at the negotiating table this offseason.

The 10-year, $313.5 million extension Rafael Devers signed with the Boston Red Sox might be the best recent comparison for his market value given their similar offensive profiles and age.

Contract Prediction: 10 years, $320 million

Age: 26

The Kansas City Royals locked up the present and future face of the franchise in February when the signed Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year, $288.8 million extension. And after a surprise trip to the postseason while winning 30 more games than they did in 2023, they could be motivated to continue locking up core pieces.

The logical next target for a long-term deal is budding ace Cole Ragans, who backed up his stellar second half of the 2023 season with a full-fledged breakout atop the Kansas City rotation.

The left-hander logged a 2.64 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 71.2 innings last season after coming over from the Texas Rangers in a deadline deal that sent Aroldis Chapman the other way, and he built on that performance this year by finishing 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 186.1 innings.

He is under club control through 2028 and will not be arbitration-eligible for the first time until next offseason, but the Royals could get out ahead of that by buying out all of his arbitration seasons and a year or two of free agency with an extension.

Logan Webb had two years of arbitration and three years of free agency bought out when he signed his five-year, $90 million extension in 2023. The Royals could give him a nice raise relative to the league-minimum for 2025 and then follow a similar blueprint.

Contract Prediction: Six years, $100 million

Age: 26

Finding a franchise catcher is extremely difficult, and guys such as Yadier Molina, Buster Posey and Salvador Pérez spending their entire careers with one team speaks to how motivated teams are to keep guys like that around for the long term.

The Baltimore Orioles fully expected Adley Rutschman to be that kind of player when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, and three years into his MLB career, he has two All-Star selections, a Silver Slugger and 13.1 WAR in 415 games.

The fact that he hit just .207/.282/.303 with three home runs after the All-Star break could give the Orioles some reason for pause, but he still finished the season with a 107 OPS+ and 3.4 WAR in 148 games.

Eventually, they could use top prospect Samuel Basallo to absorb a few starts per week, allowing Rutschman to see a bit more action at designated hitter in an effort to keep him fresh for a full season. Either way, he has proved to be a franchise-caliber catcher worthy of an early extension.

Posey signed a nine-year, $167 million deal with the San Francisco Giants at the same age and with roughly the same amount of service time, but that was back in 2013, so it's reasonable to expect Rutschman to command a decent amount more over a similar length of time.

Contract Prediction: Nine years, $180 million

Age: 27

Left-hander Tarik Skubal was a hot name on the rumor mill this spring, but the Detroit Tigers opted against trading away their ace, and he ended up leading their torrid playoff push while putting together a season that will almost certainly be rewarded with unanimous AL Cy Young honors.

After posting a 2.80 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 80.1 innings in his return from flexor tendon surgery in 2023, he was utterly dominant this season, winning the AL Triple Crown while going 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 228 strikeouts in 192 innings.

His salary is projected to spike from $2.65 million in 2024 to $8 million in his second year of arbitration, and the Tigers could buy out his final two years of arbitration and dip into his free-agency years with a long-term extension this winter.

The narrative has shifted after a surprising trip to the playoffs, and after selling off some veteran pieces at the trade deadline, this now looks like a team on the rise with a promising young core and a homegrown ace who deserves a long-term deal.

Buying out his final two years of arbitration and $8 million and $14 million and then adding on four potential free-agency years at $30 million each could be nice common ground for player and team as the Tigers build toward a sustainable contender.

Contract Prediction: Six years, $142 million

Age: 25

Given his age and stellar track record that has put him on a legitimate Hall of Fame trajectory, Juan Soto is headed for a massive payday this winter.

He may not eclipse the 10-year, $700 million megadeal Shohei Ohtani received last winter, and that has to do with Ohtani's unmatched marketability and unique two-way skill set, but he is going to get paid like few other free agents before him.

The 12-year, $426.5 million extension Mike Trout signed with the Los Angeles Angels is the second-largest contract ever handed out, and he was two years older than Soto when he agreed to that deal.

Giving him a $40 million AAV would match the extension Aaron Judge signed in terms of annual value, and tacking on several more years relative to the nine-year extension Judge signed makes sense given Soto's age.

At the very least, expect to see baseball's second-ever $500 million-plus deal this winter.

Contract Prediction: 15 years, $600 million