New York Mets and Juan Soto, the renowned outfielder, have reached a groundbreaking agreement. Sources have revealed that they have agreed on a massive 15-year contract worth $765 million, making it the largest deal in the history of professional sports.
The deal includes no deferred money, sources said, and has escalators that can reach above $800 million.
Soto rejected a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer by the New York Yankees on Nov. 19.
Soto joins the ranks of elite free agents like Alex RodrÃguez and Shohei Ohtani, who were highly coveted in previous years. Despite not being a top defensive player, Soto’s exceptional batting skills at his young age make him a valuable asset for teams.
During the 2024 season, Soto delivered an outstanding performance. Playing for the Yankees, he achieved a batting line of .288/.419/.569, hitting a career-high 41 home runs and scoring 128 runs. He ranked among the top players in various key statistics, including on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, wRC+, and fWAR.
Soto turned 26 on Oct. 25, the day of Game 1 of the World Series. He’s already a four-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, a batting champion, a Home Run Derby champion, and a World Series champion. His .421 career on-base percentage is tops in baseball since he debuted with the Washington Nationals in 2018. His .532 slugging percentage is seventh. His .953 OPS and his 158 wRC+ are fourth. His 201 home runs are ninth.
His 769 career walks are the most ever for a player through his age-25 season — 99 more than Mickey Mantle, who is second on the list. He has been a metronome since breaking into the majors as a teenager, stitching together elite season after elite season.
Soto concluded the 2024 season by going 5-for-16 in the World Series with a home run and seven walks in the five-game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was, from start to finish, worth the investment the Yankees made last December when they sent five players to the San Diego Padres for him and fellow outfielder Trent Grisham before paying him $31 million.
ESPN’s Jorge Castllo contributed to this report.
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