The third-largest deal in baseball history is official, and to absolutely nobody’s surprise, it goes to New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Judge and the New York ball club announced the agreement and called for a press conference on Wednesday. The new contract trails only Los Angeles Angels’ slugger Mike Trout with his $426.5 million deal for 2019-31 and shortstop Mookie Betts’ $365 million deal with the Dodgers for 2021-32. Though Judge’s new salary is the highest ever for a position player.
The salary in reference is a whopping $360 million, nine-year contract for a $40 million average salary, according to ESPN.
Highest Paid NY Athletes (yearly-salary ) in 2025:
1. Juan Soto, $51 Million ⚾
2. Karl-Anthony Towns, $49 Million 🏀
3. OG Anunoby, $42.5 Million 🏀
4. Aaron Judge, $40 Million ⚾
5. Gerrit Cole, $36 Million ⚾
6. Francisco Lindor, 34.1 Million ⚾️NY Sports is lucrative🤑 pic.twitter.com/ZNRwT4vq4f
— NY Muse (@NY_Muse) May 26, 2025
Breaking Down Judge’s Salary
When it comes to breaking down athletes’ salaries by state, New York definitely knows how to pay top dollar. Judge’s salary is only second to three other professional ballplayers in the state, as listed above.
Judge — who also had some conversations with the Los Angeles Angels — is unique in that his success at Yankee Stadium is the kind of thing fans see only once in a lifetime.
He is a six-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, and was named the AL Rookie of the Year back in 2017 when he hit 52 home runs. Judge also hit 62 homers during the 2022 season to break the previous AL record of 61 set by the Yankees’ legend Roger Maris in 1961. Just before opening day, Judge turned down the Yankees’ offer of $213.5 million over seven years (2023-29).
Because of this move, the California native Judge gained an additional $146.5 million and two guaranteed seasons.
Judge hit .311 and tied for the Major League Baseball lead with 131 RBIs. He hit 16 more home runs than any other player, the largest gap since the Philadelphia Athletics’ Jimmie Foxx hit 58 in 1932 and the Yankees’ Babe Ruth had 41.
His new salary comes after rumors that Judge will become New York’s first captain since Derek Jeter retired after the 2014 season.
What the Salary Means for the League
The New York Mets, with Juan Soto’s record $61.9 million pay, led MLB for the third straight Opening Day with a $336.8 million payroll, just ahead of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers at $324.2 million.
The average salary rose 2.9% to $4,655,366. That was up from a 7% increase last year after we saw a decline to $3.68 million in the 2021 season.