Juan Soto Reaches Free Agency Decision as Slugger Signs with the Mets

By Lachlan Wellington December 12, 2024 05:07

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Juan Soto will continue to play his baseball in New York from 2025 onwards, however, he will not be donning the pinstripes as he moves across the city to Queens and to the New York Mets.

Soto made his free agency decision by signing a 15-year, $765 million contract on December 8, breaking the record for the biggest contract in sports history.

Three other teams: The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays all offered Soto in excess of $700 million, however, the Mets extra $5 million compared to the Yankees who were going to give Soto a 16-year $760 million contract sealed the deal for the superstar.

Soto’s contract does not involve any deferred money and with a $75 million signing bonus and has an opt-out option after five years. Additionally, the deal could potentially be worth $805 million as the Mets have the right to void Soto’s contract buyout if they increase his salary from $51 million to $55 million in 2030 for 10 years.

This Soto deal is $300 million more than any other contract in the history of baseball. Shohei Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers in 2023 of 10 years for $700 million competes with this deal, however, with $680 of this contract deferred, the present-day value of Ohtani’s contract is around $460 million.

Mets owner Steve Cohen is one of the richest in baseball and did not want to be outbid for Soto, clearly flexing his financial ability in bringing the slugger to Queens. Another issue Soto will solve for the Mets is their declining attendance. The Mets suffered one of the biggest declines in average attendance in the National League last season drawing 2.5 million fans- 244,526 fewer than 2023 despite making a playoff run. Soto is blockbuster and is built for the New York market with his excitement factor a major attribute too.

Soto bet on himself back in 2022 when he declined a 15-year, $440 million deferred contract from the Washington Nationals. With Soto declining, the Nationals knew they could not afford to pay him so traded him to the San Diego Padres- likely a good decision from them too. Soto has banked himself at least $300 million more than what the Nationals wanted to pay him.

The Yankees then traded for Soto before the 2024 season, acquiring him from the San Diego Padres alongside Trent Grisham in exchange for right-hander Michael King, Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez with the Padres also receiving pitching prospect Drew Thorpe and catcher Kyle Higashioka. The Yankees knew they were only guaranteed Soto for one season though.

In Juan Soto, the Mets are getting one if not the best hitter and slugger in the game. Since the Dominican native burst onto the scene in his rookie 2019 year, he has taken the MLB by storm, consistently being one of the best hitters in the game. Soto’s slashes .285/ .421/ .532 across his career. Additionally, Soto has 201 career homers, 934 hits, 592 RBI and an impressive 769 walks across seven seasons in the majors.

Arguably what sets Soto apart is not only his slugging ability with his home runs but also his ability to get on base. His OBP of .421 shows that teams find it hard to get him out and makes him an ever present factor in any lineup. This coupled with his power makes him the superstar that he is. This is why the Mets have had to pay the premium they did for him. However, what cannot be understated is the value he brings to the Mets.

The Mets will most likely adopt Soto in his favored right-field fielding position and he will probably bat second in the lineup behind leadoff man Francisco Lindor.

Where Juan Soto ended up was always going to dictate the market and be the biggest news story from the 2024-2025 free agency, now this storyline had found a conclusion with the Mets, the rest of free agency is likely to spur surprises with other teams looking to strengthen with the most expensive player now tied up.