These players are due to get paid, from who will join the nine-figure club to who could break Juan Soto's record.
over the winter, a question was bandied about in front offices across the sport: Who is going to be the player to break Soto's record for overall value? Answering it was harder than it seemed, partly because Soto's deal shattered all previous ones , but also because a number of players who would have been threats had signed contract extensions already.
To even be considered for a deal of that magnitude takes the rare combination of age and superstardom, and withExpanding the exercise to those executives and agents made for a far more interesting question: Who are the $100 million-plus players in the game right now? The nine-figure contract isn't as uncommon as it used to be -- more than 150 have been given to players since the first was signed by Kevin Brown in 1998 -- but it remains perhaps the clearest threshold of an excellent player. And so off we went, on a quest with baseball insiders to identify the next generation of $100 million players. Here are the names that came up most, from the crowded $100 million tier all the way to the superstar deemed most likely to land the next $600 million megadeal. and he should get a five-plus-year deal, but $200 million-plus is probably out of reach because of the free passes. While Gallen's stuff has ticked down this season and he turns 30 in August, he has been a consistent enough innings eater with a high enough strikeout rate to warrant inclusion among the nine-figure aspirants. His elevated walk rates each of the past two seasons are of concern for a pitcher whose fastball sits at 93, so Gallen needs to pare those back if he wants to stay in this group. He's throwing harder than ever, which is the sort of thing that helps convince teams to invest in a starting pitcher who will be 32 next Opening Day. Listed at 5-foot-11, 232 pounds, Valdez doesn't have the sort of body that tends to age well, but he throws lots of innings, doesn't walk hitters, wields plenty of postseason experience and limits home runs. That is an exciting group of attributes, even if sinkerballers aren't the sexiest signings in today's strikeout-focused game. Two years ago, Bichette looked like a lock for $300 million. A brutal 2024 soured his stock, and while his average has climbed early this season, the power he showed in three consecutive 20-plus-homer seasons remains AWOL. Because he'll be a 28-year-old shortstop, Bichette can get nine figures. He also could opt for a short-term deal with opt-outs to maximize his opportunities to hit the market after a strong season. A designated hitter who's going to be 33 next Opening Day getting a nine-figure deal? Schwarber is an outlier in so many other respects, so why not here, too? He is terminally productive. He is an exceptional clubhouse leader. Nobody would blink at giving him $25 million a year, and a four-year ask -- particularly in a class weak on high-end bats -- is eminently reasonable. The Class of 2026-27 is shaping up to be an all-time weak group of free agents. Peralta is no sure thing to be a nine-figure player, but since joining Milwaukee's rotation in 2021, he has the 11th-best ERA+ of any pitcher with 100-plus starts. Of those ahead of him, six have signed for $100 million-plus, and the others are. Peralta is showing no signs of aging, throwing harder this year than ever, and he'll be 30 on Opening Day after his free agency. Two years ago, he would have been in the $300 million group. After last year, $200 million. And Rutschman could still very easily find himself in either. For now, though, the lack of thump in his bat and poor catching metrics have soured teams on the prospect of handing Rutschman franchise-player money. Also important: Catchers simply don't get paid like other positions because teams worry about their long-term health. The biggest deal ever for a catcher is Joe Mauer's for $184 million, and the biggest for a free agent catcher is J.T. Realmuto's at $115.5 million. When he's healthy, McClanahan is a top-10 pitcher in baseball and he still has plenty of time to take his spot in the $200 million group. But for now, after sitting out 2024 because of his second Tommy John surgery, and all of 2025 so far because of a nerve issue in his throwing arm, McClanahan belongs in this category. One of the sneaky steadiest players in baseball. Peña isn't much of a threat to finish high in MVP voting, but his floor is higher than most. He's just good, a consistent four-win player, and if he can carry that for three more seasons, he'll reach free agency at 30 as a pretty good comparable toNo pitcher in the class has the ceiling of Gore, who will be a 29-year-old free agent. His 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings lead all of MLB this year, and if Gore can keep controlling his walks and limit the home runs he gives up, he's a $200 million player. Even in the absence of that, Gore's arsenal plays up significantly when he can spot it, and teams are always willing to bet on a pitcher with strikeout stuff whose age starts with a 2. His lack of slug this year is a bit worrisome and a continuation of it would thrust Contreras back into eight figures. But he still hits the ball very hard -- if not consistently -- and he's a weapon behind the plate with his arm. One potential issue: Framing won't have nearly the value it does now by the time Contreras is a free agent because of the expected implementation of the automated ball-strike challenge system. Kwan is a delightful player. He hits for a high average, rarely strikes out, runs the bases with supreme intelligence and can play a mean left field. At the same time, nobody with his perceived profile -- an offensive game personified by batting average -- has ever signed a nine-figure deal. This is as much a bet on Kwan's game evolving slightly, as well as his all-around excellence, as anything, and his career-best .467 slugging percentage so far this season is a good sign. Ryan might be the best under-the-radar pitcher in the big leagues, a consistent strikeout machine whose walk rate over the past three seasons ranks sixth among all big league starters. If Ryan can limit home runs -- and he's doing so this season compared to his past two -- he'll secure his spot in the nine-figure club, even as he turns 32 two months after Opening Day in 2028. López was set to reach free agency last winter but signed a four-year, $73.5 million extension in April 2023. Though he will be 32 when the 2028 season begins, he is inducing more groundballs than ever and limiting home runs, two excellent signs for his future value. López is among the smartest pitchers in baseball, the sort of thing that will give teams peace of mind even as he ages.Note: Players in this category are listed in order of age on Opening Day the season after they reach free agency. Players who have yet to debut in the major leagues are not included. One good year and Caminero will graduate from the $100 million tier. A few standout seasons and the cost will rise multiplicatively. Beyond his immense power, the most alluring thing about Caminero is his age. He's set to reach free agency in 2031 at 27. And if he does so coming off a strong season, Caminero -- now 21 -- will get a megadeal of at least $300 million and probably more. How is a player who's currently on the shelf after Tommy John surgery -- who has thrown fewer than 100 major league innings -- in line to join the nine-figure club? Well, for starters, Pérez was really, really good when he was healthy. More than that, though, he debuted just 27 days after his 20th birthday, and Pérez is the only player in this entire assessment who will hit free agency at 26 years old. Perhaps elbow reconstruction robs Pérez of his triple-digit fastball velocity or the tilt on his slider. If Pérez's stuff returns, though, he'll quickly belong in the $200 million group - or even higher. Nobody should question Winn's defensive bonafides. His bat will determine his financial ceiling, and Winn has plenty of time to develop. What's important to remember: He plays a position that gets paid in free agency, and he'll turn 28 just before Opening Day in 2030. If Winn is even slightly above average, that's a $100 million player. If he's anything more, the number could be massive. Between his age when he hits free agency after the 2028 season , the position he plays and his power-speed combination , Abrams has a chance to be a rare free agent. Abrams won't get there until he starts hitting the ball harder and more consistently -- and perhaps moves off shortstop, where he's average at best defensively. Thus far, Crow-Armstrong has rejected entreaties from the Cubs regarding an extension. Chicago offered a deal in the $75 million range. If Crow-Armstrong keeps up even a reasonable facsimile of his production, he will vault into this $200 million category by this winter, and by the time he's a free agent after the 2030 season, it could be twice that. The only thing keeping him from it now, frankly, is plate discipline. Because he plays for the Angels, Neto is wildly underappreciated. And as a shortstop who will hit free agency at 28 , he could easily vault himself into the $200 million-plus group. Neto packs huge power into a slight frame, is fearless on the basepaths and is well above average on defense. Had Greene not signed a six-year extension with a club option, he would have been a near-lock for the $200 million club. He still could get there anyway, entering the 2030 season at 30. Greene has halved his career walk rate this season while maintaining gaudy strikeout numbers, and with his MLB-best 99.3 mph average fastball, it's the sort of power stuff that get teams excited. This is a bet on Schwellenbach's array of stuff and mature mound presence. Suggesting a soon-to-be-25-year-old with fewer than 200 big league innings will warrant nine figures is risky. He doesn't reach free agency until after the 2030 season. But if there's anyone to bet on, it's a pitcher with extreme athleticism whose fastball sits 97 mph and is one of six pitches he throws with tremendous command. The pitcher with the best ERA in the AL over the last calendar year comes with power stuff and a burgeoning ability to control it. Brown has entertained taking an extension in past seasons -- and should be glad he didn't. Because if he can pair productivity and health, he will easily surpass $100 million and be a good bet to blow past $200 million. The fear of Ragans' injury history -- back-to-back Tommy John surgeries and more than three years without throwing in a professional game -- will always hang over his future. His brilliance over the past two years can't be overstated, though, and as long as his left arm remains intact, Ragans will merit inclusion in this group. No, he hasn't thrown a big league pitch this year because of a shoulder issue, and, yes, he'll be 31 when he debuts after signing a free agent deal. But Kirby's first three big league seasons have been an exercise in consistent quality. Nobody in the game's history has struck out as many hitters over such a span while walking as few as Kirby has in his 89 career starts. It's a unique profile, one that won't lack interest and could end up at $200 million-plus. Perdomo just signed a four-year, $45 million extension with a club option that bought out three free agent seasons and will leave him as a free agent at 31. Perdomo has been brilliant this year, nearly matching his career high in home runs, getting on base at a .400 clip and walking more than he strikes out. And there are few better with the glove, easily positioning him to cash in once free agency beckons. Like Perdomo, Webb signed a multiyear deal that bought out three years of free agency, and he'll be 32 when he's a free agent following the 2028 season. With his sinker-slider-changeup trio, consistent command, a high groundball rate and a low home run rate, Webb, even at that age, is primed to be in high demand. He was originally on the $200 million list, but his age is a mitigating factor. When Duran reaches free agency after the 2028 season, he will already be 32. And as dynamic a player as he is, outfielders who rely on their legs tend not to age well. That said, a $100 million-plus deal would be one hell of a consolation prize. Cruz looks as if he's finally figuring it out at the plate. His home run rate has jumped. He has 14 steals in 32 games after swiping a career-best 22 in 146 games last year. His walk rate is the fifth best in baseball. His strikeouts are down. All that's separating him from stardom is a ghastly glove in center, where the 6-foot-7 Cruz moved from shortstop. Even if right field is his ultimate destination, Cruz's offensive abilities are bountiful enough to earn a number that starts with a 2 when he hits free agency at 30. Greene has both age and position on his side -- he'll turn 28 right before he hits the market in 2029 and is a solid defender at a premium position. His strikeouts are a little too high, his walks a little too low, but just about everything else Greene does plays, and on top of that, he's likely to have plenty of postseason experience by the time he's a free agent. Of all those in the groups above $100 million, Sasaki is the biggest wild card. He also has some of the best potential of the group, making him a tricky player to place. Between now and November 2030, when the rookie is set to hit free agency, he could very easily blossom into the best pitcher in the world. He also could never find the 100 mph fastball he regularly threw in Japan and wind up a giant case of what could have been. This placement is simply a bet on his splitter, a true unicorn pitch.Strider's six-year, $75 million extension signed in October 2022 set a record for a pitcher with such little service time. Should the Braves exercise a club option in 2029, it will put Strider onto the market at 31 -- the same age as his former Braves teammatewas when he got eight years and $218 million from the Yankees last winter. When he's healthy, Strider is even better than Fried, and if he can sustain his stuff, he might be a better bet for the $300 million club.He has size, he has stuff, he has innings and he has adaptability. Gilbert is the quintessential modern pitcher, and with $200 million now the standard for true aces, he qualifies. Gilbert is due to hit free agency after the 2028 season, and if he can get past the elbow issues currently sidelining him and continue to produce until then, teams will be lining up for his services. It's odd to include a player who signed an extension a month ago, but the 22-year-old Campbell's bat is that special. Boston has him locked up for the next eight years at $60 million with two club options on top of that, which means if he makes it to free agency, Campbell will be 32 on Opening Day in ... 2035. If he is what the Red Sox think he is, though, chances are they'll try to make him a one-uniform player before then -- and that would be a $200 million-plus proposition. He has uncommon power, a fantastic eye, unexpected speed and, best of all, youth. Wood will have just turned 28 when he reaches free agency after the 2030 season, and by then, he could have 200 home runs. Suggesting a player is worth $300 million-plus with less than a full season of experience is something of a stretch, but if there's anyone worth stretching for, it's a 6-foot-7 outfielder whose home run stroke runs foul pole to foul pole. Langford barely scratched the surface of his abilities last year and still wound up producing nearly 4 WAR as a rookie. He has been among the few bright spots for the Rangers' offense this year, with speed complementing his huge raw power and a disciplined approach at the plate. Best of all: He'll be barely 28 when he heads to free agency after the 2029 season.There's plenty of time for Chourio to figure out how to take a walk between now and the 2033 season, which is how long the Brewers control him after he signed an eight-year, $82 million deal last season with a pair of club options. Chourio starred as a 20-year-old rookie and would hit free agency at 30, and even though he'll be older than Wood or Langford, he's capable enough to be worthy of standing alongside them in the $300 million club.'s 12-year, $325 million deal in the 2024-25 offseason. But if Skubal stays healthy for the next two years and continues his Cy Young-caliber performance, it's not out of the realm that he'll seek a 10-year deal for $40 million-plus a season. Max Scherzer andIf it's not Skubal , it's bound to be Skenes. The 22-year-old helped his clock by winning Rookie of the Year and the full year of service that comes with it. He'll be just 27 when he's on the market after the 2029 season. And if Skubal does indeed crack the $400 million threshold, it would be no surprise to see Skenes -- the best pitching prospect in a generation -- parlay his productivity, age and marketability into becoming baseball's first half-billion-dollar pitcher. This one was tough. Nobody doubts Tucker's talent as a player. The combination of other elements -- a potential lockout after the 2026 season changing the game's finances, the presence of big-revenue teams that could choose to avoid a deal the magnitude of which Tucker will rightly seek -- simply makes it a challenge to predict if he'll land here or the previous tier. On Tucker's side are the comparables. He is a better player than., whom the Blue Jays gave $500 million. He'll play all of next year at 29. He's one of baseball's best power-speed combinations. Everything is there for Tucker to exceed $400 million. Surging past $500 million could be tough, but then no one anticipated Soto getting $765 million, either. Multiple executives named the Reds star as a potential successor to Soto, but the math is likely to prevent that from happening. With less than two years of service time, De La Cruz won't be a free agent until the Class of 2029-30, at which point he'll be 28. Even if he receives a 13-year deal, De La Cruz would need an average salary of nearly $59 million a year to exceed Soto's contract. Is it possible? Well, sure. De La Cruz is that talented. But he hasn't produced at an exceptionally high level, hitting .252/.328/.444 for his career. De La Cruz is electric, no question, but he must offer multiple MVP-caliber seasons to be in the conversation, and he hasn't produced even one yet.Boat believed to be carrying migrants capsizes off San Diego
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