The New York Mets and superstar outfielder Juan Soto have agreed on a 15-year, $765 million contract, according multiple reports Sunday. It is the largest contract in sports history.
The decision brings the now-former Yankees star across town to Queens in a bold move by a franchise that has long been overshadowed by the Bronx Bombers.
ESPN first reported Soto’s news to leave Yankee Stadium for Citi Field and free-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen — who shelled out an MLB-high $341.8 million for his 40-man roster in the 2024 season, according to Baseball Prospectus data.
This is the biggest investment yet by Cohen, who hasn’t been shy about opening his checkbook.
Shortstop Francisco Lindor is playing under a 10-year, $341 million contract. Cohen had shelled out $130 million for Max Scherzer and $86.7 million for Justin Verlander before shipping both of the big-name pitchers away in 2023.
This past season, the Mets rallied from a 24-35 start to make the playoffs and push the eventual world champion-Los Angeles Dodgers to a Game 6 of the National League Championship Series.
The NL East club had a strong offense, scoring 768 runs, the seventh-most in baseball. Soto’s arrival should strengthen New York’s offense or at least lessen the blow of possibly losing first baseman Pete Alonso to free agency.
Soto’s departure could be major setback for the AL-champion Yankees, who lost the World Series in five games to L.A. in October.
The Yankees had baseball’s No. 3 offense in 2024, scoring 815 runs with a top-heavy lineup that’s now suddenly without a key contributor.
Soto drove in 109 runs for the Yankees, making for a powerful trio with American League MVP Aaron Judge (144) and Giancarlo Stanton (72).
But they were the only three Bombers with at least 72 RBI, while the champion Dodgers had five batters with at least 75 RBI. The Mets had five hitters with at least 69 RBI in 2024.
The Mets have won two World Series (1969 and 1986) since their history began in 1962.
And while that pair of titles account for two of the most well-known teams of 20th century baseball — the Miracle Mets and the dominant 1986 squad — New York’s NL team has long fought to overcome the long shadow cast by the 27-time champion New York Yankees.
Soto’s addition marks the most aggressive move yet by the Mets to wrest the Big Apple spotlight away from the Yankees.
Soto, 26, was hands down this winter’s most highly sought free agent, valued as much for his elite baseball skills as his birth date.
Baseball players must put in six years of MLB service time before they’re allowed to fully test free agency. Those half-dozen years of club control, at less-than-free-market salaries, can act as a disincentive to sign free agents who might be approaching or already past their athletic peaks at around age 30.
Soto broke into the big leagues as a 19-year-old phenom, setting the free agency clock ticking at an early age and offering bidders a rare chance to score a player with so many prime years left in his career.
He belted a career-high 41 home runs this season (fourth most) to go along with 109 RBIs (sixth most) in those two traditional MLB categories.
Soto is also one of baseball’s most disciplined and patient hitters, drawing walks in 18.1% of his plate appearances, compared with the overall MLB rate of 8.4%, in 2024. And in an age of swing-for-the-fences baseball, Soto struck out just 16.7% of the time, while the league whiffed at a 22.2% clip this season.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
