The highest-paid reliever for the 2026 MLB season is Sean Manaea. He plays for the New York Mets under a three-year contract worth $75 million. This will be the second-to-last year of that deal, and he is set to earn his $25 million average salary. He will become a free agent in 2028.
Manaea has been with the Mets since 2024 and has given the team added strength on the mound when needed. Last season he was limited to just 15 games while still working as a starter. This year, he will move into a full-time reliever role.
Speaking about his new role for 2026, Manaea was clear. “I consider myself a starter. To not be that is frustrating. But at the end of the day, I’m going to let my pitching do the work in whatever capacity that is and go from there,” he said at Clover Park.
Other highest-paid relievers in MLB for 2026
Manaea will not be the only reliever earning a major salary in 2026, but he will be one of only two making more than $20 million. The other is a former teammate who is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Edwin Díaz, who is also on a three-year deal.
- Edwin Díaz – $23M
- Josh Hader – $19M
- Tanner Scott – $18M
- Devin Williams – $17M
- Raisel Iglesias – $16M
see also
The best pitchers in MLB history: Ranking the most dominant arms ever
Most of these pitchers, according to Spotrac, are on contracts averaging around three years. Josh Hader holds one of the longest deals among the top-paid relievers, with a five-year contract worth $95 million with the Houston Astros.
Hader also owns the most valuable contract among relievers. His deal in Houston runs through 2028. The second-largest contract belongs to Tanner Scott at $72 million, also with the Dodgers, followed by Díaz at $69 million.
