Juan Soto is staying in New York but will be making his new to a new borough in 2025.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Soto has agreed to a 15-year deal with the Mets for $765 million setting a new record for a professional sports contract. However, Passan added that with additional escalators to the deal, the money could surpass $800 million over the course of the deal.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi also notes that the deal also includes an opt out after the fifth year.
Soto now joins Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout as the only players in Major League Baseball to make over $400M with their current deals. Ironically enough, Soto could’ve joined this club back in 2022, however, the then soon-to-be free agent turned down a 15-year, $440M offer from the Nationals which prompted Washington to trade him to the Padres.
Instead Soto continued to bet on himself and it paid off.
During his time in New York with the Yankees, Soto slashed at .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 homers. Moreover, Soto further increased his value during the postseason when he hit a go ahead home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 to help send the Yankees to the World Series.
Not to mention, the 26-year-old Soto has developed a track record of hitting.
Since his arrival on the big league stage when he was a 19-year-old, Soto has accumulated a OPS+ of 160 good for 19th-best in MLB history. The only active players who’ve managed better OPS+ numbers include Aaron Judge and Mike Trout who both share a 173.
