Juan Soto becomes highest-paid athlete ever in staggering US$756 million, 15-year deal with Mets
New York Mets win race to sign free agent, reportedly agree to pay 26-year-old more than World Series winner Shohei Ohtani
Star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets have agreed to a record US$765 million (HK$5.9 billion), 15-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told Associated Press, believed to be the largest pact in team sports history.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement, first reported by the New York Post, was subject to a successful physical.
Soto’s agreement is the largest and longest in Major League Baseball history, topping Shohei Ohtani’s US$700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a deal signed last December. That agreement included US$680 million in deferred payments and is valued at just under US$46.1 million for baseball’s luxury tax.
While there are no definitive records in sports beyond the United States, Soto’s deal is thought to eclipse those in all other team sports. The deal was reached on the eve of the first full day of baseball’s annual winter meetings.
Soto’s agreement does not include deferred money, the person said, leaving its average annual value at US$51 million. Its length tops Fernando Tatis Jr’s US$340 million, 14-year contract with San Diego that runs through 2034.
The New York Yankees’ final offer to retain Soto was for US$760 million over 16 years, a second person familiar with the talks said, also on condition of anonymity because that detail was not announced. That offer had a US$47.5 million average annual value.
