MLB's Highest-Paid Designated Hitters for 2026 season

The Pittsburgh Pirates made an offer. The Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and several other teams were interested in Kyle Schwarber's services. But it was the Philadelphia Phillies who won the bidding war for the fan favorite to return to the City of Brotherly Love.

The 32-year-old free agent, who hit a National League-best 56 home runs in 2025, is re-signing with the Phillies, agreeing to a five-year, $150 million contract, according to reports.

The deal made Schwarber one of the highest-paid designated hitters, per total cash earnings in 2026 ($30 million).

The Phillies are now paying nine-figure contracts to six players: Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola and Nick Castellanos.

For context, Shohei Ohtani's average annual value is $70 million. Of that, $68 million is deferred, which means his actual take-home salary in 2026 is $2 million.

Here's a look at the highest-paid designated hitters heading into the 2026 season, according to Spotrac.com (as of Dec. 10):

MLB's highest-paid designated hitters by 2026 salary

1. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies – $30,000,000 (5 years, $150,000,000)
2. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees – $29,000,000 (13 years, $325,000,000)
3. Yordan Alvarez, Astros – $26,000,000 (6 years, $115,000,000)
4. Kris Bryant, Rockies – $26,000,000 (7 years, $182,000,000)
5. Joc Pederson, Rangers – $18,500,000 (2 years, $37,000,000)
6. Jorge Soler, Angels – $13,000,000 (3 years, $42,000,000)
7. Brent Rooker, Athletics – $6,000,000 (5 years, $60,000,000)
8. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – $2,000,000 (10 years, $700,000,000)

Top remaining free agent DHsfor 2026

These are the best remaining free agent designated hitters on the MLB free agent market this offseason (ranked by 2025 WAR):

• Marcell Ozuna (5.9 WAR)
• Andrew McCutchen (0.4)
• Eloy Jiménez (-0.9)