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The Juan Soto sweepstakes have officially ended.
According to MLB insider, Jon Heyman, the New York Mets have signed Juan Soto to a 15-year $765 million deal.
“Breaking: Juan Soto to the Mets. $765M. 15 years,” Heyman wrote on X.
ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan then confirmed the news and added more clarity to the contract. The deal is worth $51 million annually.
“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,” Passan wrote on X. “Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets includes no deferred money, according to sources, and has escalators that can reach above $800 million.”
The Mets were considered front runners for the New York Yankees superstar outfielder and now the deal is done. The New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox were also in the running for Soto.
Soto is a four-time MLB All-Star and a World Series Champion. Last season with the Yankees, he hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs.
Mets Had Money to Spend
The Mets are owned by Steve Cohen who has shown a willingness to spend money. With that, the team was considered front runners for Soto.
Before free agency began, Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns confirmed the team would have money to spend.
“Pretty much the entirety of the player universe is potentially accessible to us,” Stearns said. “That’s an enormous opportunity. I envision us taking advantage of that opportunity and being aggressive in certain spaces.”
However, Stearns wouldn’t reveal how much money the team had, or what their payroll would be.
“At this point in the offseason, I don’t think it’s fair for me to speculate on anything. I would expect us to be active in free agency. I would expect us to go out and try to improve this team. Where ultimately our payroll lands, at this point I really can’t say,” Stearns added.
The Mets entered the 2024 season with the highest payroll in the MLB, according to USA Today.
How Does Soto Fit in New York?
Soto will be a middle-of-the-order bat for the Mets.
The superstar outfielder could hit either before or after Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo. Soto is great at getting on-base and can also add some power to the Mets lineup. Last season, he had an on-base average of .419.
According to MLB.com, Soto’s xOBP in 2024 was .444. That ranked No. 1 in the Majors. But not just for 2024. Soto also had the single-best season by xOBP of any hitter in the entire Statcast era, which goes back to 2015.
Soto is also a clutch hitter as with the Yankees in the postseason, he hit .327 with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs. During the Nationals World Series run in 2019, Soto hit .277 with 5 home runs and 14 RBIs.
Defensively, Soto will likely play right field for the Mets. Although his defense is not elite like his bat, Soto is coming off a year where he had a fielding percentage of .993 in right field and committed just 2 errors with 9 assists.
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