Dominican Juan Soto Pens $765 Million MLB Contract, All-Time Largest in World Sports
According to a number of sources, the New York Mets agreed to sign Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, which is by far the biggest deal in the men’s North American Major League Baseball (MLB) history and beyond.
Photo: Juan Soto (screenshot youtube.com/@MLB)
After agreeing to a $765 million agreement over 15 years with the MLB team, the New York Mets, Juan Soto is about to sign what’s apparently the largest contract in the history of international sport.
The Mets haven’t yet confirmed the deal since the 26-year-old Dominican outfielder needs to pass a medical, but several sources from the United States have revealed parts of it.
After enjoying the best season of his career with the New York Yankees, where he once again showed his exceptional ability to get on base, Soto was expected to be MLB’s most sought-after free agent this off-season. Only his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge had a higher on-base percentage (OBP) in 2024, and only three players hit more home runs than the Dominican player. He has the best career on-base percentage (0.421) among active players.
In a deal that may potentially be worth up to $805 million, Soto would receive a $75 million signing bonus with no deferred money, according to the Mets section of the MLB website. What does this mean? The Mets can nullify Soto’s opt-out clause after the 2029 season if they increase the average yearly value of the last 10 years of his contract from $51 million to $55 million since it has an opt-out after five seasons and, as we said, no deferred money. So, in such a scenario, the total agreement would be for $805 million over 15 years or $53.66 million in average annual value (AAV).
The Mets were the only team to promise Soto $51 million a season, by far the highest average annual value in Major League Baseball history, after the Yankees topped out with a 16-year, $760 million offer, according to a source. When Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, it seemed no one would top it in the foreseeable future, either in US professional sports or internationally. However, the Japanese star agreed to postpone, or defer, $680 million of the deal’s final worth. Deferred money agreements, which are common in American sports, allow players to agree to receive a portion of their money after the time the contract covers.
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What Makes Soto So Special in MLB’s Realm?
It was a testament to Soto’s accomplishments over his seven years in Major League Baseball that the Mets were prepared to offer him such a contract.
He had already won a World Series with the Washington Nationals at the age of 20. He has been selected for four All-Star teams. He just finished a season in which he hit a career-high 41 home runs with a 0.989 on-base plus slugging (OPS: a player’s offensive ability to both get on base and to hit for power) for the Yankees, helping them advance to the 2024 World Series, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-4. The outcome was very much expected, and all new gambling websites, old ones as well, put the Dodgers as series favorites. He had one home run, one RBI, and a batting average of 0.313 during the World Series
In 157 regular-season games last season, Soto had a batting average of 0.288 and 109 runs batted in (RBI), which is given out each time you let someone score, including yourself. He has participated in 936 regular-season games, recording 592 RBIs, 201 home runs, and a batting average of 0.285.
