By: JOSEPH SIMILE / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
It is officially a new era in New York. The New York Mets outbid the New York Yankees for superstar Juan Soto. Soto has agreed to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. This surpasses the 10-year, $700 million contract signed by Shohei Ohtani last offseason for the biggest in baseball history. It is not only the biggest in terms of total compensation but also the first ever 15 year deal in MLB history (the longest was Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year, $340 million deal).
This deal comes largely from Mets owner Steve Cohen, who has made it his mission to turn around the franchise he loves dearly. He purchased the team from the infamous Wilpon brothers in 2020. He has since been dedicated to improving the Mets by any means necessary. He handed out another one of the largest contracts in MLB history to now Mets captain Francisco Lindor, whose 10-year, $341 million deal is now the 7th largest in history.
Long gone now are the days in which the Yankees had the biggest checkbook in the league, as Cohen’s estimated net worth of $21 billion and willingness to spend has made the Mets a premiere free agent destination. Reports indicated leading up to Sunday that Soto was down to two teams, both in the same city: the Mets and the Yankees.
Soto is coming off of a top-3 MVP finish with his now-crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. He played in 157 games, slashing .288/.419/.569, with 31 home runs, an American League-leading 128 runs, and a 178 OPS+. He posted his career high in bWAR, with 7.9 as well. Soto also helped lead the Yankees to the World Series, with a team-leading 1.101 OPS in the playoffs, hitting 16-for-49 with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs, and 14 walks.
On top of being one of the greatest hitters in the world, Soto’s free agency was so intriguing for teams because he is so young. He just turned 26 in October, and his world-class plate discipline suggests that he should age gracefully.
Soto has garnered comparisons to Ted Williams throughout his career for being such a complete hitter. He has an elite eye, world-class bat-to-bat skills, and power that sometimes flies under the radar because of how comprehensive his skillset at the plate is. Since integration, Soto has the 10th highest WAR of all time among players before their 26th birthday (Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Hank Aaron, Eddie Matthews, Albert Pujols, Andruw Jones, Frank Robinson).
Throughout his storied seven-year career, Soto has amassed 36.4 bWAR, 934 hits, 201 home runs, 592 RBIs, and 769 walks despite 696 strikeouts. His career OPS of .953 is currently 23rd all-time and ranks third among active players, trailing his former teammate Aaron Judge and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Mike Trout.
Soto won a World Series in just his second season with the Nationals in 2019, is a four-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, and a batting title champion. After starting his career in Washington, Soto spent a season and a half in San Diego, this past year in the Bronx, and is now set to call Flushing his home for the next 15 years.
Soto’s contract features a $75 million signing bonus with an average annual value of $51 million. He has an opt-out after the fifth year, however, the Mets can void Soto’s opt-out by escalating his AAV from $51M to $55M over the last 10 years. So, if Soto continues his historic pace, the Mets can raise his contract to over $800 million to guarantee his stay in Queens for the remainder of the deal.
While Juan Soto’s bat plays everywhere, it plays especially well in Citi Field. He has a career 1.175 OPS in Queens, by far the most among players with more than 60 plate appearances. He has homered 12 times at Citi Field in 35 games and is the owner of two of the five longest homers in the stadium's history (466 feet, 463 feet). It is his 5th best ballpark by OPS (Guaranteed Rate Field, Globe Life Field, Oakland Coliseum, Great American Ballpark), but it is by far the one he has played in the most among those, with 14 games at Great American Ballpark being the only other one in the top 5 he’s played more than 8 games in.
The Mets have never had an MVP in team history, with Francisco Lindor’s second-place campaign this past season being the closest they’ve come. Soto is likely going to find himself in the conversation for years to come, and the tandem of Lindor and Soto will terrify pitching staff for the next decade.
Soto is the 3rd former Yankee to sign with the Mets this offseason, as journeyman starter Frankie Montas hopes to have a career revitalization akin to that of Luis Severino last season, and last year’s Yankee closer Clay Holmes is making the trek down the Whitestone with plans to convert to a starting pitcher. Cohen is expected to continue to be aggressive in pursuit of free agents to fill out the roster, and many are monitoring the Mets' incumbent 1st baseman Pete Alonso to see if a reunion is going to occur.
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