NEW YORK (Reuters) – Juan Soto, one of this generation’s finest hitters and the biggest prize of the offseason, has officially joined the New York Mets on a reported 15-year, $765 million contract, the Major League Baseball team confirmed on Wednesday.
Soto, who spent the 2024 season with the crosstown rival New York Yankees, is now the face of a Mets franchise seeking their first World Series title since 1986, and their championship odds have significantly improved since reports of the deal surfaced on Dec. 8.
“This is a seminal moment in franchise history,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement.
“Juan Soto is a generational talent. He is not only bringing staggering historical statistics with him but also a championship pedigree. Our Amazin’ fan base is very excited to welcome Juan to Queens. Congratulations, Juan.”
The contract, which was finalized Wednesday after a physical, contains a full no-trade clause, a $75 million signing bonus, an opt-out after five seasons and no deferred money, according to MLB.com.
It is the biggest contract in MLB history, eclipsing the 10-year, $700 million pact the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to last winter.
A precocious hitting talent, the 26-year-old Soto enjoyed a career year with the Yankees in 2024 as he set career highs in a number of categories, including runs, hits, home runs, total bases and extra-base hits.
The Dominican slugger and four-time All-Star went on to finish third in American League MVP voting last month as Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge won the award in unanimous fashion.
The Yankees had acquired Soto last December as part of a blockbuster seven-player trade.
Soto and Judge formed a dynamic duo in the Bronx and helped power the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years. They lost to the Dodgers 4-1 in the best-of-seven championship series.
The Mets made a surprise run to the 2024 National League Championship Series in their fourth season under billionaire owner Steve Cohen and their success in luring Soto away from the Yankees came as something of a surprise.
The Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Dodgers were also reportedly in the running for Soto.
RAPID RISE
Born in Santo Domingo, the baseball prodigy quickly rose through the minor leagues and made his major league debut in 2018 at 19 years old with the Washington Nationals.
The next year Soto won a World Series with Washington as they defeated the Houston Astros in a seven-game series that went the distance and during which he led the Nationals in home runs, hits and runs scored.
After rejecting a reported 15-year, $440 million contract from the Nationals in 2022, Soto joined San Diego in August of that year and played for the team again in 2023 before being traded to the Yankees.
Soto is known for having an excellent eye and great patience inside the batter’s box and, as a result, has more career walks than strikeouts.
The Dominican slugger is a career .285 hitter with 201 home runs, 934 hits and 592 RBI in 936 regular season games.
Soto has also proven he can perform in the pressure-packed postseason and owns a career postseason batting average of .281 with 45 hits and 11 home runs across 43 games.
He hit a memorable three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning of the ALCS against Cleveland that sent the Yankees to the World Series.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
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