Juan Soto not coming to Boston, signs record contract with the New York Mets

BOSTON — Juan Soto is not signing with the Boston Red Sox, instead inking a massive new contract with the New York Mets.

Soto is joining the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract, as first reported by Jon Heyman. It’s the largest contract in the history of professional sports.

Red Sox offer to Juan Soto

The Red Sox were reportedly still in the mix for Soto as of Sunday morning. Boston’s last and final offer to Soto was “around $700 million for 15 years,” according to Sean McAdam of Mass Live.

The New York Yankees offered Soto a 15-year deal worth $760 million, according to Heyman. 

While the Red Sox didn’t exactly need another left-handed bat in the lineup, signing Soto would have given them a generational talent that would have created a significant buzz for the franchise. Having one of the best hitters in the game in the heart of the lineup would have thrust Boston back into contention, and given fans a reason to watch every single night.

Juan Soto at-bats are must-see TV for baseball fans. Unfortunately for Boston fans, those at-bats will come for the Mets. 

The Red Sox will now focus on bulking up its starting pitching, either through free agency or via trade.

Juan Soto’s career

The 26-year-old Soto has a lot of baseball left, but he’ll go down as one of the best hitters to play the game. He was in pinstripes last season and helped the New York Yankees make it to the World Series. Soto slashed .288/.419/.989 with 41 homers and 109 RBI over 157 games in the regular season, before he hit .327 with four homers, nine RBI, and 12 runs scored over 14 playoff games for the Yankees in October.

Soto has been an All-Star four times over his seven-year career, which started when he was a 19-year-old with the Nationals in 2018. He played five-plus years with Washington before he was traded to the Padres at the deadline in 2022. After a season-and-a-half with San Diego, he was dealt to the Yankees last offseason.

Over his career, Soto has slashed .285/.421/.532 while averaging 35 home runs and 102 RBI over 162 games. He led the National League with a 7.1 WAR in 2021, and led all of baseball with 145 walks. Soto has led the league in walks three times, and his .421 career OBP is the highest in baseball among active players.

Soto has earned five Silver Slugger awards during his career, and finished in the Top 5 of MVP voting three times. He finished third in MVP voting last season with the Yankees.