BREAKING: Superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets are in agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest deal in professional sports history.
Juan Soto signs a 15-year deal with the Mets
Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024, 22:37 EST
Well, the Juan Soto saga is over.
On Sunday evening, it was reported by numerous sources that he is signing a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets. Moreover, he has escalators that could bring the contract into the $800 million range.
As you likely know, the Blue Jays were reportedly in on Soto until he signed. According to some reporters, the Blue Jays were set to offer the most amount of money, and that still may be the case, but the Mets were always seen as the favourite.
Soto’s contract is the highest total any team, not just in baseball, is paying for a professional athlete. It makes sense as well, as the 26-year-old slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-best 41 home runs in 713 plate appearances last season for the New York Yankees.
Through his seven-year career, the outfielder is slashing .285/.421/.531 with 201 home runs in 4,088 plate appearances, with a higher BB% (18.8%) than K% (17%), while posting a 159 wRC+ and a 36.3 fWAR.
But what’s next for the Blue Jays? As much hope as there was surrounding Soto, they were never seen as the favourite. With that being said, they’ve been linked to the likes of Anthony Santander, Teoscar Hernández, Max Fried, and Corbin Burnes. Any combination of one of those position and one of those pitchers would still make this off-season a success.
With Juan Soto heading to the Mets, Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández will be the focus for teams willing to spend big on an outfield bat. The Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Dodgers are in that category. @MLBNetwork
As it stands, their biggest priority is extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season. If he reaches free agency, there will be a long, drawn-out start to free agency, much like Shohei Ohtani’s free agency last off-season and Soto’s this off-season.
Another need this off-season is quickly improving their bullpen, which was one of the worst in 2024. Adding another starter seems like a need as well, while adding a power bat or two is also a must-need.
So yeah, expect a whole lot of action from the Jays this off-season if they truly wish to contend next season.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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