DALLAS – What a Juan-der-ful holiday season it will be for the Mets.
In a move that will reverberate through not just MLB, but the entire worldwide sports landscape, Juan Soto agreed to a record 15-year contract worth $765 million with the Mets on Sunday, according to sources, to usher in the Winter Meetings.
The deal eclipses the $700 million contract over 10 years (which included significant deferrals) that Shohei Ohtani received from the Dodgers last winter. MLB valued that deal at $460 million in present-day value because of the deferrals.
Soto, 26, will give the Mets a franchise cornerstone to join Francisco Lindor in the lineup, giving the team a 1-2 combo that rivals – if not surpasses – any in baseball.
Soto was part of a similar dynamic last season with the Yankees, for whom he teamed with Aaron Judge to help lead the team to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
The Yankees pushed hard to re-sign Soto, with managing partner Hal Steinbrenner raising his offer to 16 years and $760 million – more than double what the team gave Judge in free agency (nine years, $360 million) before the 2023 season.
Ultimately it was Steve Cohen’s offer that won out, allowing the Mets owner to make a tsunami of a splash for a fan base that has long been frustrated by life in the Yankees’ shadow.
Cohen gave Lindor a 10-year contract worth $341 million before he reached free agency after acquiring the All-Star shortstop from Cleveland four years ago. That deal stood as the largest in Mets’ history until Soto’s agreement.
Soto hit a career-high 41 homers last season with the Yankees and overall hit .288/.419/.569. Soto arrived into the organization last year at the Winter Meetings when he was traded from the Padres (with Trent Grisham) for Michael King, Kyle Higashioka, Jhony Brito, Drew Thorpe and Randy Vasquez.
The Mets went big-game hunting (against the Yankees, among others) last winter in free agency, but were left disappointed when Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year contract with the Dodgers worth $325 million, the richest ever given to a starting pitcher.
The Mets had offered a similar contract, but lost out largely because of geography.
Soto’s addition more than alleviates the sting of missing on Yamamoto last winter. The Mets will place Soto in right field in a lineup that aside from Lindor includes Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo and look to take the next step after last season’s surprising run to Game 6 of the NLCS.
With Soto aboard, Mets officials can look toward Pete Alonso, who has sought a long-term deal in free agency. Alonso, who like Soto is represented by Scott Boras, has repeatedly said his desire is to remain in the only organization he’s known.
The Mets, if they haven’t already, will have to decide at what level they are willing to go with Alonso after giving a record contract to Soto.
The team’s president of baseball operations, David Stearns, has concentrated primarily on pitching to this point, adding Frankie Montas on a two-year contract worth $34 million and Clay Holmes on a three-year deal worth $38 million. The Mets also acquired Jose Siri in a trade with the Rays early in the offseason.
Soto’s addition could leave the Mets looking to trade Starling Marte, who has one year remaining on his contract. But it’s also possible the Mets could retain Marte as part of a DH mix.