Juan Soto to New York Mets: Baseball star ‘signs’ record $765m contract after leaving rivals New York Yankees

Baseball star Juan Soto has reportedly signed a 15-year, $765m (£600m) contract with the New York Mets, which would be the largest deal in professional sports history.

The 26-year-old outfielder is expected to join after just one season with cross-city rivals Yankees, who lost the World Series in October. If he does move, the Mets will be Soto’s fourth team in four years.

The Yankees had offered four-time All-Star Soto a 16-year, $760m contract, while he also had interest from LA Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, but the Dominican chose to make the short move from the Bronx to Queens.

While the deal has not been confirmed yet, ESPN are reporting that it will include a $75m signing-on bonus, no deferred money, a full no-trade clause and an opt-out after five years, which the Mets could get rid of by increasing his salary from $51m to $55m over the final 10 years of the deal.

If the Mets do take that option, it would make the deal worth $805m over the term of the contract, further dwarfing the $700m deal that Shohei Ohtani signed with LA Dodgers last year.

Who is superstar Soto?

Signed as a 19-year old by Washington Nationals in 2018, Soto made an instant impact, hitting his very first pitch for a home run. He quickly went about proving it was no beginner’s luck as he struck 22 home runs in his rookie season, recording a batting average of .292 and an on-base percentage of .406. His 110 runs ranked seventh in the National League.

The following season he helped Nationals win the World Series, shocking Houston Astros in seven. He was his side’s standout batter, with six runs, three homers and a batting average of .333. As well as the Championship trophy, he earned the Babe Ruth award for best post-season performance.

He was on course for a record-breaking year in the 2020 season, which was ultimately cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic. He hit .351/.490.548 and 39 runs in just 47 games, earning a first All-Star call-up and the National League Silver Slugger award. He did all this in a struggling Nationals side that finished bottom of the National League East.

It was a similar story in 2021, as his own exceptional batting could not drag Nationals off the foot of the table, and midway through the 2022 season he turned down a $440m offer from Washington, choosing instead to move to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster trade.

He had one full season at the Padres, where he continued to rack up the individual honours despite yet another failure of the team to reach the post-season. Soto was on his way again in the off-season, heading cross-country to New York to join the Yankees.

This time it looked like Soto would finally be able to add a second title to his trophy cabinet as he led his new side to the top of the American League East and into the post-season as top seeds. They battled their way past Kansas City Royals and then the Mets, to face the Dodgers in the World Series.

Despite again topping his side’s batting, Soto could not inspire them to victory as Dodgers took the title 4-1. Soto took home a fifth-straight Silver Slugger award and a fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.

Why so much?

After a player’s contract expires, they enter free agency, where they are able to sign terms with whoever they want. This is usually the team that offers them the most money, but can also be the team that offers them the best chance of winning a title. Free agency deals tend to be bigger and better for players as there is no expense for the buying side in terms of transfer fee or player swap.

Soto’s breakthrough as a teenager means he has been able to enter this lucrative free agency much earlier than most players, so his value is that much higher over a longer term. That led to a bidding war among a number of teams in the league, pushing his value higher.

The Mets won this particular battle as they were most prepared to break the bank for a man they believe can strike them towards a first title in nearly 40 years.

And let’s not forget that he is very good at baseball. Soto has four All-Star appearances, five Silver Slugger awards, was first in the league for runs last year and is regularly in the top three for on-base percentage. Soto is an absolute superstar of the game and is set to be at the top for many years to come, fully justifying the eye-watering salary he will be on well into the next decade.

How much more will Soto earn compared to Ohtani?

Until now, Japanese star Ohtani held the record for the biggest deal in the sport, with a $700m contract over 10 years with the LA Dodgers. However, he chose to defer 97 per cent of his salary to help the team build a Championship-winning side, a move which paid off as they cruised to World Series glory in October.

That means his take-home pay is just $2m a year, compared to Soto’s huge $51m a year. A few players come close to Soto’s annual earnings, with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, pitchers for Texas Rangers and Houston Astros respectively, clearing $43.3m per year. But Soto will still be well clear of the field.

How does Soto compare to other world sports stars?

Unbelievably, Soto’s $51m annual salary is not the highest in world sport. Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly earns around $210m per year at Al Nassr, while Lionel Messi’s 2017 contract with Barcelona earned him a reported annual salary of $168m.

Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has an annual salary of $60m, with an extra $15m in performance-related add-ons.

Soto will not even be the highest-paid player in the USA, as Dak Prescott will earn $60m per year with the Dallas Cowboys, while Steph Curry is the highest-paid NBA star with an annual salary of over $55m.

But in terms of overall money paid over the course of the full contract, Soto’s is far ahead of any other world sports star.