New York Mets Sign Juan Soto to the Largest Contract in MLB History
SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball
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The biggest free agent on the market has officially signed. Juan Soto, a generational superstar, has signed with the New York Mets!
He’ll officially switch sides of town in New York and join the Mets as they look to build upon their impressive 2024 playoff run.
Whenever he signed, this was always going to be a historic and memorable deal. It’s extremely rare in the modern era for players to hit free agency at 26 years old, especially with the accolades Soto has already racked up.
While we all knew it would be a crazy contract, none of us would have anticipated that the bidding would reach $765 million over a 15-year deal. However, Mets owner Steve Cohen would not be denied, and now Soto is a New York Met.
The Soto Sweepstakes Finally End
Soto was the biggest story of the offseason, and the team that has been the biggest threat to steal him from the Yankees finally does, as he’ll instantly become one of the key figures in the Mets’ franchise history.
After Shohei Ohtani broke the record for the largest contract in professional sports history last offseason, it was hard to imagine anyone topping that.
Just a year later, Soto has done just that as his contract is worth $65 million more. His deal is for $765 million across 15 years, which is hard to even fathom. Here is some context to help put this insane contract into perspective.
- $765 million that can reach over $800 million with escalators
- $75 million signing bonus
- $51 million average annual value
- Over $300k per possible game played
- No deferred money
- Opt-out clause after five years
This contract is hard to even describe, but Soto is one of the best players in baseball and hit free agency earlier than any superstar in recent history.
Reports earlier this season indicated that his deal could cross the $500 million threshold, which was already crazy to imagine. However, it has become clear that that number increased drastically, with reports this week that bidding from the two New York teams passed $700 million.
The deal exceeds three-quarters of a billion dollars, and the New York Mets have secured their franchise superstar for at least five years and quite possibly another decade beyond that.
It has been reported that the Yankees’ final offer was 16 years for $760 million, less in total value but notably much less in annual value. They now face an offseason with a massive hole in their lineup.
At just 26 years old, Soto has accomplished more than almost anyone in MLB history at this stage of his career. Hitting free agency at such a young age is rare, but Soto debuted at 19 years old in 2018 and became the first player born in 1998 to play in MLB.
Now set to spend likely the rest of his career with the Mets, he’ll surely achieve much more in the future. So, this list of accolades will certainly continue, but here is what he has done already in his career.
- World Series champion (2019)
- 4x All-Star (2021-2024)
- 3x All-MLB First Team (2020, 2021, 2024), All-MLB Second Team (2019)
- 5x Silver Slugger Award (2020-2024)
- NL batting champion (2020)
Soto arrived in 2018, and it was clear that he would be a force. He took the first pitch he saw in his first MLB start deep for a three-run homer off Robbie Erlin and became the youngest player in Nationals history to hit a home run.
After finishing second to Ronald Acunã Jr. in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018, Soto became a hero for the Nationals the following season. He took the lead for Washington late in the NL Wild Card Game, hit a game-tying home run in Game Five of the NLDS off Clayton Kershaw, and then cemented his name on the biggest stage.
He led the charge for the Nationals’ offense in the World Series as he went deep three times off future hall-of-famers Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander. The 21-year-old phenom was officially one of the best in the game.
Since then, Soto has been one of the game’s best year in and year out.
He won the NL batting title in a shortened 2020 season despite missing the first two weeks due to COVID-19. Then, he finished as the NL MVP runner-up the following season, posting a .313/.465/.534 slash for the Nationals.
Notably, the Nationals offered a 23-year-old Soto a 13-year, $350 million extension after the 2021 season, but ultimately, Scott Boras’s client declined. He reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer the following season, in which he was once again an All-Star and won the Home Run Derby as well.
However, he was traded soon after as the Nationals entered a rebuild, and it became clear he would not sign an extension. He was subsequently dealt to the Padres in a blockbuster deal.
After a year and a half with the Padres and one deep playoff run, Soto was dealt last winter to form the best duo in baseball in New York alongside Aaron Judge. He finished third in AL MVP voting, posting a .989 OPS with 41 home runs for New York.
Through the first seven years of his career, Soto has been one of the best players in baseball and just received the contract to show for it.
Team Fit with the Mets
When Cohen bought the Mets, it was clear that they would quickly become big spenders in MLB. They have officially entered the top tier alongside the Dodgers and probably aren’t even done yet.
Soto forms a dynamic duo with NL MVP Runner-Up Francisco Lindor at the top of the Mets’ lineup. There is undoubtedly work to be done, as Pete Alonso is a free agent, and the only other surefire strong pieces in the lineup are Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo.
The first four are going to produce at an extremely high level, but the Mets will need to make some further improvements this winter to the rest of their offense. However, this team just made it to the NLCS, and they’re likely still set to make moves.
They signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to bolster their pitching staff, but they have been long expected to be a possible destination for some of the top arms on the market.
While the Mets still have work to do, Soto’s entering the fold changes the trajectory of their entire organization moving forward. They can now operate knowing they have a generational talent penciled into their lineup for years.
The post New York Mets Sign Juan Soto to the Largest Contract in MLB History appeared first on Just Baseball.
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