The wait is over and Juan Soto will be returning to New York, only this time as a New York Met.
All eyes this off season were focused on where Juan Soto would land, but even more so what the uber talented 26 year old's contract would look like. After Shohei Ohtani broke the bank and signed with the Dodgers it had been speculated that Soto's deal could be even higher, and the speculation came to fruition Sunday night.
The outfielder and the New York Mets are in agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract. That deal will now be the largest deal in professional sports history.
The deal Soto's includes no deferred money, unlike Ohtani, and even has escalators that can reach above $800 million. It is also being reported that Soto can opt out of the contract after the 2029 season or the Mets can void the opt out if they buy him out for $4 million dollars more. That would raise the contract to $55 million dollars per year for the remaining 10 years of the contract's span. If the void is exercised the deal would then turn into a 15 year, $805 million dollar contract all told.
Soto is from the Dominican Republic and began his MLB playing career at 19 years old. After his outstanding start to his career Soto turned down the Washington Nationals offer of a $440 million contract two years ago. He was then traded to the Padres for a haul of prospects, and subsequently to the Yankees for the same sort of large trade deal before last season.
Soto hit a career-high 41 homers last season with the Yankees with a .288 average and one of the best batting eyes in the league.