Many want to know the details of the historic Juan Soto contract with the New York Mets, where he is set to earn $765 million over 15 years. It stands as the largest contract in sports history, coming with a significant signing bonus and even the option of Soto earning more money if he chooses to opt out later in the deal. Here’s what we know so far about Soto’s record-breaking offer that stunningly took him away from the Yankees.
What is Juan Soto’s $765M contract with the Mets?
Juan Soto’s contract with the New York Mets is frontloaded, with the $765 million, 15-year deal having no deferred money and an opt-out opportunity in 2029.
That comes to an average of $51 million per year, after combining his significant signing bonus and salary. As explained by MLB’s Mark Feinsand, Soto will get a $75 million signing bonus and earn $220 million in salary for the first five years (that’s $44 million every year).
After the 5-year mark in 2029, Soto has the ability to opt out of the contract, leaving the deal with 10 years and $460 million on the table. However, the Mets can choose to block this opt-out opportunity by giving Soto $4 million more per season for the last 10 years of his contract. Per CBS Sports, this would mean that Soto would increase his salary from $46 million a year to $50 million a year for the latter part of his deal, turning the $765 million contract into a $805 million contract instead.
It’s also important to note that this contract has no deferred money, putting this in direct contrast to Shohei Ohtani’s $700M contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Because of how backloaded his contract is, Ohtani will only make $2 million a year until 2034 but then $68 million a year after that until 2044.
As reported by ESPN, multiple teams bid on Juan Soto when he became a free agent, with the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Royals, and Blue Rays all attempting to score a contract with the 26-year-old phenom.
