After interest from multiple teams this off-season, the New York Yankees resigned Aaron Judge after the two parties agreed on a whopping nine-year, $360million (£295m) deal, with Judge to make $40m (£32m) a year until 2031.
The big-hitting outfielder became a free agent this summer after a legendary season with the Yankee in which he won MVP and set the new single-season American League home run record (62 HR's), as he surpassed Roger Maris who hit 61 home runs 61 years ago.
After reportedly receiving an offer from the San Francisco Giants, with some reporters insinuating that a deal was close, Judge eventually resigned with the Yankees.
Judge has been awarded with one of the largest deals in not just baseball, but all of sporting history.
Here, Mirror Sport has taken a look at the biggest contracts ever given out across sports, to see where Judge's ranks. The list shows that seven of the top 10 are in baseball, which tends to reward their players with long-term contracts in comparison to others.
10) Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins): $325 million
After an incredible three first seasons with the Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton signed, at the time, the most lucrative deal in sports history when he penned a 13-year, $325m (£266m) deal. After winning the 2017 MVP, the Marlins had admitted that they may need to trade Stanton to shed his huge contract from the payroll and did so when the Yankees traded for him - Stanton and Judge are still looking for their first World Series.
9) Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies): $330 million
Bryce Harper became a free agent after the 2018 season and chose not to resign with the Washington Nationals but joined division rival Philadelphia Phillies. In his first interview after joining the Phillies, he misspoke and said: "I want to bring a title back to DC". That first season, the Nationals won their first ever World Series in Harper's absence. Harper has remained playing at an elite level himself, winning his second MVP in 2021.
8) Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres): $340 million
Tatis Jr signed a massive 14-year, $340m (£278m) deal after just two seasons in the league and became an All-MLB First Teamer in 2020 and 2021. Since then though, it's all gone wrong for the 23-year-old after missing the entire 2022 season hand injuries, before recently being given an 80-game suspension for taking a substance on the banned list, an anobolic steroid.
7) Francisco Lindor (New York Mets): $341 million
After being traded to the New York Mets from the Cleveland Indians for a number of players, the team rewarded Lindor with an enormous contract after five consecutively strong years. Lindor remains one of the best shortstops in baseball, but has struggled offensively after being given that huge deal.
6) Aaron Judge (New York Yankees): $360 million
The recently-signed Aaron Judge checks in at number six in highest contracts ever given out, being paid at the perfect time after his incredible season. The San Francisco Giants reportedly offered Judge a similar contract, but he chose to remain loyal after breaking the single-season home run record and winning the MVP.
5) Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers): $365 million
Maybe one of the biggest mistakes in the Boston Red Sox' history was trading away Mookie Betts for a less than ideal haul for one of the game's great players. For whatever reason, Sox chose not to extend Betts and instead traded him away to the Dodgers who had just come off the back of a World Series defeat to the Sox with Betts. In his first season with the Dodgers, they won their first World Series in 32 years.
4) Canelo Alvarez (DAZN): $365 million
The Mexican boxing sensation was given a massive 11-fight deal with DAZN, but things didn't work out with the streaming service. Alvarez sought an early end to the deal, and managed to become a free agent after being released by Golden Boy Promotions and DAZN in 2020. The Mexican superstar defeated Gennady Golovkin in his last outing, and is expected to return to the ring next May after having surgery on a shoulder injury.
3) Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels): $426.5 million
The unquestionable best baseball player on the planet to many, Mike Trout was given baseball's biggest ever contract in 2019, giving him $426.5 million over the next 12 seasons. Being an all-star every season since 2012, Trout has won the Silver Slugger Award six times, and was named MVP in 2014 and 2016 after placing second in the voting in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018.
2) Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs): $502 million
Patrick Mahomes shook the NFL world when he was given by far the biggest contract in the sports history, being almost double as second-places Josh Allen's $258m (£211m) deal with the Buffalo Bills. Mahomes deal will see him remain with the Chiefs for the next 10 years, however, the Chiefs will be able to cut the quarterback from 2025. However, that's unlikely to happen with Mahomes playing like one of the great players in the sports history.
1) Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona): $674 million
It was 'the contract that ruined Barcelona' as Spanish news outlet El Mundo wrote, which saw Lionel Messi remain at Barcelona from 2017 to 2021. After he signed that deal, though, Barcelona became severely cash-strapped and forced to let go of several key players including Neymar, Dani Alves, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann. That contract given to Messi was five times greater than what LeBron James received from the Los Angeles Lakers, as Barca slowly declined, having failed to win the league in the last three seasons, along with Messi eventually leaving in 2021 to join PSG.
