Currently, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are among the highest-paid athletes in the MLB. The 2023 season is on the verge of witnessing this year’s World Series champion as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers will fight for the championship. There are some big names in the league who have signed some very lucrative deals in the free agency. It is a good time to explore these names. For instance, Aaron Judge signed a huge contract extension with the New York Yankees.
The extension might be as huge as a nine-year deal worth $360 million. Later, Rafael Devers signed an 11-year deal with the Boston Red Sox worth $331 million. Moreover, the deal with Devers is the highest contract in the history of the Boston Red Sox. However, neither Devers nor Judge occupy the top spot for the highest-paid salary in the 2023 season.
Shohei Ohtani Might Break The Records To Become The Highest Paid MLB Athlete In The Next Free Agency
In the current season, Texas Rangers’s Max Scherzer and Houston Astros’s Justin Verlander jointly occupy the top spot for the highest-paid athletes. Both will earn a mammoth $43.3 million per season. Scherzer has a three-year deal with the Rangers that he signed back in 2021 for $130 million. Moreover, Verlander signed a two-year deal with the Astros worth $86.6 million. Anyway, Aaron Judge takes third place with a $40 million per season salary. In fourth place, there is Anthony Rendon, who signed a $38.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angeles.
The @Rangers became the first team to clinch a spot in the LCS, and they are enjoying every second! #CLINCHED pic.twitter.com/H5eZw0EXPQ
— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2023
On the other hand, in fifth place, there is Jacob deGrom who signed a five-year contract with the Texas Rangers worth $185 million, which is $37 million per season. Anyway, if there is one player who can beat everybody’s deal, then that’s Shohei Ohtani. The popular belief is that the two-way sensation can sign the most lucrative deal in the league’s history. In 2023, he is already the highest-paid athlete of the Angels, considering all sponsorship deals and salary. But it would be interesting to see which team gives him a better offer than the Angels in the next free agency. As per the popular expert opinions, Ohtani should be eligible to sign a 12-year deal that would be worth a mammoth $789.7 million.
Shohei Ohtani Vs. Aaron Judge: The MLB’s Bests
The New York Yankees captain had the most amazing season in 2022. He broke the record for most homers in a season of all-time. The record-breaking home run slugger is the 16th captain of the Yankee’s history. Moreover, the whole team depends on the captain to pave the way for the team through to the playoffs. However, the Yankees failed to make the postseason in 2023. The fans will hope Aaron Judge leads the team to the playoffs next season. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Angels have the two biggest superstars of the league on their roster- Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
But the Japanese two-way player is the highest-paid athlete of the franchise because of his contribution as a pitcher and also as a slugger. And why won’t he be? Moreover, many consider the Japanese sensation as the GOAT of MLB. Very few players can even dream of being a two-way player for the long term in the league. But Ohtani has championed the skill so well that he won two American League MVPs. Hence, there are no doubts about why Judge and Ohtani earn the big bucks they do.
