The New York Mets has reportedly signed superstar outfielder Juan Soto, the Yankees’ cross-town rival, to a $765m deal, the richest contract in sports history.
Speculation has been rife for weeks about where the 20-year-old free agent is going to land, with the Mets, Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays among the front runners. Some believed he would stay with the Yankees, who helped him to the World Series last season, but the Mets, led by their multibillionaire owner Steve Cohen, had too much on the table.
Soto, a four-time All-Star, was a rare commodity in Major League Baseball: a free-agent superstar while still in his mid-20s. During the period of his contract he will be in 40 s. While it’s unlikely that a player who is already out of a limited-time contract will have a lot of power, he’s not denying his potential right now. In the 2024 season, he hit a career-high 41 home runs and trails only his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge in on-base receiving across the majors.