Juan Soto was one of the key figures in the season that led the New York Yankees, the most successful and important team in Major League Baseball in the United States, back to the World Series after 15 years. It was assumed and expected that the free agent would sign with the Bronx team, but in a surprising news on Sunday night, it was revealed that the Dominican player crossed the bridge to Queens to sign with the New York Mets.
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Soto's contract with the "Metropolitanos" will be a record in sports history: 765 million dollars for 15 seasons for the 26-year-old Dominican player.
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Jeff Passan from ESPN was the first media outlet to break the news.
The rivalry between the Mets and the Yankees played a key role
The Yankees were one of the main teams interested in signing Soto, along with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they put an offer of $760 million for 16 years on the table, as reported by The Associated Press. This offer had an average annual value of $47.5 million.
But the Mets raised the stakes and are close to signing with the Dominican player, once the medical exams are completed.
Since their foundation in 1962, the Mets have been overshadowed by the other New York team. However, the Mets and their owner Steve Cohen are determined to leave that shadow behind by spending big. In 2024, they had the most expensive roster with an impressive $341 million, and among their stars is Puerto Rican shortstop Francisco Lindor, who signed a 10-year contract worth $341 million.
Soto's decision to switch from the Yankees to the Mets is unprecedented and has historical repercussions.
The outfielder hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs, batting second in the lineup of the "Bronx Bombers", ahead of Aaron Judge, to lead an offense that topped the major leagues with 237 home runs. Now the Yankees will have to look for a reinforcement with similar characteristics if they want to win the American League again in 2025.
What are the details of Juan Soto's contract with the Mets?
The agreement gives the Dominican the option to exit the contract after the 2029 season if the Mets do not increase the deal to 805 million and raise the average annual value by 4 million annually. Soto will receive a signing bonus of 75 million dollars, payable after the approval of the agreement by the commissioner's office.
The contract will not be deferred, as a good part of Shohei Ohtani's agreement with the Dodgers is, so Soto will start receiving an average of 51 million dollars annually from the next season.
Is de Soto's contract with the Mets the biggest in the history of world sports?
A year ago, Shohei Ohtani was also a free agent and signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, which was at the time considered the largest in sports history. This deal included $680 million in deferred payments: the Japanese player will receive $2 million per season until 2033 when the player's contract expires, and from then on, the Los Angeles franchise will begin to pay him $68 million each year until 2043, when the pitcher/designated hitter will be 48 years old.
Soto's contract with the Mets, although with less money on average per season, is higher in the total amount committed.
It also surpasses the one Lionel Messi signed in 2017 with Barcelona for $674 million over four years and the current one of Cristiano Ronaldo for $535 million (including commercial agreements) for two and a half seasons with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
In the NFL, the biggest contract is Patrick Mahomes’ with the Kansas City Chiefs, for $450 million over 10 years.