It’s getting more common nowadays to see superstars jumping teams trying to win one – or multiple – championships. Once they hit their prime and feel like their current organization isn’t doing enough to get them some silverware, they try to force their way out of the team to compete elsewhere. Then again, there are still some players who rather stay loyal to an organization instead of pursuing glory with other superstars. The teams, obviously, reward that loyalty with a bunch load of money.
That’s why there’s a growing trend around Major League Baseball about signing stars to massive contract extensions and guarantee that those players will stay with the club for a very, very long time.
And, while some of those deals have kind of backfired – i.e Alex Rodriguezand Miguel Cabrera – that trend isn’t going to change any time soon. So now that Fernando Tatis Jr just signed his massive contract extension, let’s discuss the longest contracts in baseball history, featuring Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Giancarlo Stanton, and Bryce Harper.
The 5 Longest Contracts In Baseball History
5. Mike Trout – 10 Years, $360 Million
Mike Trout. (Getty)
While some consider this to be a 12-year pact because of the structure of his contract, Mike Trout’s extension was officially a 10-year deal. Obviously, the Los Angeles Angels didn’t want to lose one of the greatest players to ever do it.
Trout was set to become a free agent in 2020 and multiple contenders would line up to sign him to even bigger deals but he decided to stay loyal to the organization, even if he’s barely made the postseason in his career.
4. Mookie Betts – 12 Years, $365 Million
Mookie Betts. (Getty)
Mookie Betts is one of the best players in the world so there’s no wonder why the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t hesitate to pull off a huge blockbuster deal to lure him away from the rebuilding Boston Red Sox.
The Dodgers didn’t waste any time and signed the former AL MVP to a 12-year extension to keep him on the West Coast for the better part of his career. He’s already won a World Series with them and there will be many more to come.
3. Giancarlo Stanton – 13 Years, $325 Million
Giancarlo Stanton. (Getty)
Giancarlo Stanton is the only player on this list that didn’t play through his contract extension. He signed that huge deal with the Miami Marlins but was later traded to the New York Yankees following his MVP season.
Stanton didn’t opt out of his deal – obviously – and will continue to wear Pinstripes for a very long time. Hopefully, he’ll finally stay healthy and pay back the trust after some subpar years in the Bronx.
2. Bryce Harper – 13 Years, $330 Million
Bryce Harper. (Getty)
Just a couple of years ago, Bryce Harper was the most coveted player in the world. Everybody wanted a piece of him as he was a lock to leave the Washington Nationals, so the Philadelphia Phillies had to make a Godfather offer to lure him.
Now, Harper is likely to stay in the City of Brotherly Love even after his prime after inking his signature on a 13-year pact with the team. Sadly, they couldn’t even make the playoffs yet with him on board.
1. Fernando Tatis Jr – 14 Years, $340 Million
Fernando Tatis Jr. (Getty)
Fernando Tatis Jr has made baseball fun again. He’s the most exciting player to watch in the world right now and the San Diego Padres want to make sure he stays with them formost of his career.
The Padres continue to put together a strong squad around Tatis Jr and Manny Machado and are determined to put an end to their title drought once and for all. Hopefully, ‘El Niño’ will only get better with the years.
