The wait is over. The New York Mets signed star outfielder Juan Soto to a 15-year, 765 million-dollar contract, the largest in professional sports history, on Dec 8. After one year with the Yankees, Soto will switch boroughs to the cross-town rivals down in Queens. At age 26, Soto won the 2019 World Series, was selected to four All-Star games, and was awarded the National League Batting title in 2020.
Soto has played with four teams in his seven years, most recently being traded from the Padres to the Yankees. Last December, the Yankees acquired Soto in a trade, giving up pitchers Michael King, Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka. In his past season with the Bronx Bombers, Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBIs in 157 regular-season games. Soto showed his superstar status in the playoffs, hitting a go-ahead 3-run homer in game five of the American League Championship Series to send the Yankees to the World Series.
Speculation about where the young superstar would sign had been going on for months. After reaching the World Series with the Yankees, many expected him to sign a long-term contract with the team. In his first and only year, Soto made an immediate impression, helping lead the Yankees to the number-one seed in the American League.
From the moment Soto entered free agency, many teams tried to get into the market for the star player, including the Red Sox, Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. Ultimately, the Mets were willing to give Soto the contract he and his agent, Scott Boras, wanted. Throughout free agency, fans knew that money would decide where Soto would go, as his agent has been known for getting the most money for his players when they hit the free agent market. The Yankees reportedly offered him 760 million dollars over 16 years, five million less for one more year; however, Soto chose the Mets, earning him 51 million dollars annually.
The Mets and Yankees have other gaps to fill in free agency. The Mets have already made moves, bringing in pitcher Frankie Montas on a two-year, 34 million dollar contract along with former Yankee relief pitcher Clay Holmes. While the Yankees haven’t made any moves yet, they have been linked to first basemen Christian Walker and left fielder Teoscar Hernadez to help fill the missing spots on their roster.
The youth and athleticism of Soto will make the Mets instant World Series contenders for years to come. The new duo of shortstop Francisco Lindor and Soto will immediately impact the team, hoping to repeat last season’s success after reaching the National League Championship Series. With Mets owner Steve Cohen willing to spend big bucks in free agency, the Mets look to continue building around their addition of Soto to make a World Series push in 2025.
Photo Credit: “Juan Soto” by Jeffrey Hyde is licensed under (CC BY-SA 2.0).
