On Sunday, December 9, the professional baseball world was rocked, as news broke that superstar slugger Juan Soto had agreed to a mind-boggling, 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. Less than a year after Shohei Ohtani, who has a case for baseball’s “GOAT” at age 30, signed a then-record-breaking, ten-year, $700 million contract, Soto has smashed that record to smithereens. The 26-year-old Dominican phenom now holds the contract with both the highest overall value and the highest annual value in sports history, and unlike Ohtani’s contract, this one has no deferred money. This contract gives the Mets never-before-seen expectations, while fans of the crosstown Yankees, Soto’s former team, look on in scorn.
Who is Juan Soto?
Juan Soto is the antithesis of Shohei Ohtani in many ways. In fact, he’s not like other superstars of the present or recent past, like Mike Trout or Ken Griffey, Jr. They are examples of 5-tool players, who can hit for power and average, run fast, play good defense, and have strong throwing arms. Soto has average speed, plays arguably below-average defense, and has a good but not elite arm. Where Soto is unique is his hitting. It’s allowed him to become one of the most consistently valuable players in the league without excelling in other areas. He has incredible power, combined with all-time great plate patience and discipline that allow him to draw walks and get on base. Even against the best pitchers, he rarely strikes out or gets fooled by good pitches, which is unheard of for someone who hits over thirty home runs a year. As a pure hitter, he’s as good as there’s been in a long time.
Soto’s outstanding skill set goes in tandem with his flair. Every time a pitcher throws a ball while facing him, he does his famous “Soto shuffle.” He stares the pitcher down, then slides toward him and back. Baseball purists tend to dislike this, but he’s someone who can back up any level of showboating.
Soto’s Career
Coming out of the Dominican Republic, Soto blew through the minor leagues and made it to the majors with the Washington Nationals in 2018. He was nineteen in a league where many fail to break through until their mid-twenties. Still, he put up elite stats his first few years, all while getting under the skin of his opponents with his confidence. In the 2019 World Series, a 20-year-old Soto did his shuffle against future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. Verlander told him to stop. Soto then hit a home run into the second deck, flipping his bat while doing so. This postseason made Soto a household name in baseball circles, as the Nats finally won a World Series after years of playoff collapses. His 2020 and 2021 were outstanding, as Soto finished second in MVP voting the latter year. At some point between 2021 and 2022, Soto rejected a 15-year, $440 million contract from the Nationals, clearly knowing that his value would only increase. During a mediocre 2022 season (one that still saw him become an All-Star and win the Home Run Derby), Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres for a huge haul of draft picks and prospects. Following a solid year and a half there, the Padres traded him for yet another huge haul of prospects to the New York Yankees, where he and Aaron Judge would wreak havoc in 2024. Soto hit forty home runs on his way to a third-place MVP finish, making him a fan favorite in the Bronx, although the Yankees would falter in the World Series against the Dodgers. His signing with the Mets leaves the Bronx Bombers in a situation they knew all too well before 2024, wherein they will have to rely on Judge for most of their offense.
Soto’s free agent status was well-known before now, but his value seemingly rose exponentially over the course of the offseason. It’s well worth wondering how someone other than Shohei Ohtani would be worth $765 million. Unless Soto does what Barry Bonds did and wins four straight MVPs in his late thirties, people will likely dismiss his performance as underwhelming no matter what, due to the obscene amount of money he’s making. Still, this contract was meant to be a statement by a long disrespected organization.
Meet the Mets
The New York Mets have always been seen as the Yankees’ little brother, with twenty-five fewer championships and decades of legendarily bad ownership. This narrative would change (at least somewhat) with the sale of the team to Steve Cohen, a hedge fund manager who is by far the wealthiest owner in the sport. He made his presence known quickly by signing Francisco Lindor, Max Scherzer and others to enormous contracts, though playoff success still eluded them. This past year, however, the Mets made the NLCS on the backs of Lindor and Pete Alonso, so they’ve shown that they have the ability to go far. This signing means that anything less than a World Series ring will be a disappointment. Soto only fills one spot in the lineup, and the Mets have lackluster starting pitching, so nothing is given (especially with Philly and Atlanta in their division). Even with Soto, the Mets have their work cut out for them.
Generally speaking, however, Soto is the first free agent who’s chosen the Mets over the Yankees. His mere presence will attract more free agents to Queens in the years to come. Of course, the Mets are happy any time their crosstown rival is seething with anger. Whether this signing will pay off or backfire is unknown, but it certainly warrants the attention it’s getting from the sports world.
