Juan Soto Signs Record Contract with New York Mets

The New York Mets have their new superstar, and Juan Soto is now the highest-paid professional athlete on earth. He agreed to a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets on Sunday, with no deferred money. That makes his deal more than the $700 million pact Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and far more valuable in the short-term, because so much of Ohtani’s earnings will be paid years down the road.

To put Soto’s new deal into perspective – the Boston Red Sox were purchased for $700 million in 2002, the contract signed by Aaron Judge just two years ago was for $360 million, and over the last 10 seasons, the Pittsburgh Pirates spent $726 million in total for their entire payroll.

It’s also worth noting that with a 15-year contract, if no one exercises their out clauses, Soto will still be on the Mets payroll into his 23rd Major League season. 

The four-time All-Star and World Series champion in 2019 with the Washington Nationals now joins his fourth team.

Mets World Series Prospects

The Mets missed the playoffs in 2023, but this past summer they made it to the National League Championship Series, and expectations were high heading into the postseason. When 2025 World Series odds were first released after the Los Angeles Dodgers closed out the New York Yankees in this past Fall Classic, the Mets were paying +1400 to win the Series next October.

That was before Soto was a reality and only a dream. Today, with the Mets splurge and Soto’s move from the Bronx to Queens, the Mets are +800 to win the World Series.

The Dodgers are still the favorites at +380, and the Atlanta Braves are second at +750. But the Mets have closed the gap considerably. Each of the three National League’s top contenders has a generational talent — Ohtani with the Dodgers, Ronald Acuna Jr. with the Braves, and now Soto with the Mets.

Had Soto been on what was a very good Mets team in 2024, he would have led the team in home runs, RBI, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

You can already place bets on Soto’s 2025 home run total, and the over of 34.5 is currently paying +105.

Other Teams in the Running for Soto

The Mets are the winners in the big Soto sweepstakes, but there were other teams also ready to make him the richest man in sports. The Yankees reportedly offered $760 million over 16 years, and the Red Sox offered $700 million over 15 years. The Dodgers didn’t want to go higher than $600 million, so they dropped out of the bidding fairly early.

Soto was the big free agency prize, and as the big loser in these sweepstakes, expect the Yankees to aggressively hunt for his replacement. And they will act soon, as they would like to knock their cross-town rivals from the front pages and remind New York baseball fans that it is them with 27 World Series titles to just two for the Mets.

That may include trying to take home run-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso from the Mets. Arizona Diamondbacks Christian Walker would also fill their need at first base. Top pitching targets are Walker Buehler from the Dodgers and Tanner Scott, most recently with the San Diego Padres.