A source familiar with the agreement informed The Associated Press that Juan Soto and the New York Mets reached an agreement on Sunday night to sign a record 15-year contract worth $765 million. Since the arrangement had not been made public and was contingent to the successful completion of a physical examination, the individual talked on the condition of anonymity.
This is Major League Baseball’s 12th contract worth at least $325 million. These are the remaining ones. All guaranteed compensation, excluding revenue from possible incentive. Incentives, is included in the figures that The Associated Press got from player and management sources. For postponed money, there is no difference
Soto’s contract, which does not include any deferred payments, easily eclipsed Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal from the previous winter, making it the largest in sports history. Before becoming a free agent at the age of 26, he was dealt to San Diego and then the New York Yankees after declining Washington’s $440 million, 15-year offer in 2022. Since shortstop Alex Rodriguez, then 25 years old, signed a record 10-year, $252 million contract with Texas in December 2000, Soto is the most successful free agent at that age.
Ohtani’s free agent contract included $680 million in deferred money payable from 2034–2043; this makes it worth varying amounts according to different methods. The luxury tax is listed as around $46.08 million per year after being lowered by 4.33%. After applying a 5% discount, the players’ association estimated its value to be around $43.7 million. It is listed at roughly $28.2 million and is lowered by 10% for regular MLB payrolls.
In the first year of the contract, Ohtani won his third MVP award and his first World Series championship.310 with 1.036 OPS, 130 RBIs, and an NL-best 54 home runs. He became the first 50-50 player to steal 59 bases. Following his recuperation from elbow surgery, he is anticipated to resume pitching in 2025.
The 11-time All-Star has only appeared in 266 games over the past four seasons due to injuries such as a strained right calf, back spasms, a fractured left hand, and a torn meniscus in his left knee. Trout won his third AL MVP award in the first year of a contract that was agreed upon in March 2019. He hit.281 with 138 home runs, 306 RBIs, and a.995 OPS across the six seasons of the contract.
Five months after being acquired from Boston, in July 2020, Betts accepted the contract. He went on to assist the Dodgers win championships in 2020 and 2024. In the first four years of the contract, Betts, an eight-time All-Star, is hitting.283 with 116 home runs, 322 RBIs, 52 stolen bases, and an OPS of.899 runs per game.
After becoming a free agent, Judge accepted the agreement and was named captain of the Yankees. In the first two years of the contract, Judge hit.300 with 95 home runs, 219 RBIs, 221 walks, and an OPS of 1.104, earning him his fifth and sixth All-Star appearances. For the first time since winning the 2009 championship, he assisted the Yankees in making it to the 2024 World Series.
As a free agent in February 2019, Machado agreed to a $300 million, 10-year contract with the Padres, which included the option to opt out after the 2023 season and lose $150 million. The Padres increased their commitment to him to $470 million over 14 seasons when they offered him the new contract in March 2023. In his six seasons with the Padres, he has amassed 167 home runs, 536 RBIs, and a.275 average. He was selected to two All-Star teams, bringing his career total to six. In the first two seasons of his most recent contract, he had a.267 average, 59 home runs, and 196 RBIs.
Lindor signed a 10-year contract with the Mets that began in 2022 before to the 2021 opening day after being acquired from Cleveland in January of that year. Despite being the NL MVP runner-up to Ohtani in 2024, the four-time All-Star for Cleveland has not yet been selected for another All-Star Game with the Mets. With New York, he has a.259 average with 110 home runs, 359 RBIs, and 86 stolen bases. During the multiyear contract, he had a.266 average with 90 home runs, 296 RBIs, and 76 thefts.
When Tatis signed the longest contract in baseball history in February 2021, he was only 22 years old. After recovering from surgery for a broken left wrist he had suffered in a motorcycle accident, Tatis missed 80 games in 2022 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug Clostebol. Tatis claimed he had taken a ringworm medication that contained the prohibited substance by mistake. Tatis has hit.271 with 88 home runs, 224 RBIs, 65 stolen bases, and an OPS of.855 since agreeing to the deal.
Harper, a 26-year-old free agent, accepted the deal in February 2019. In 2021, he received his second NL MVP title. He has now earned eight All-Star selections with the Phillies. Harper has been with the Phillies for six years and is hitting.285 with 152 home runs, 455 RBIs, and a.924 OPS in 726 games. After Tommy John surgery, the team moved him from right field to first base, delaying the start of his 2023 season until May 2.
When Stanton and the Marlins reached an agreement in November 2014, shortly after his 25th birthday, the contract was the longest and most in baseball history. He was not yet scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2016 season. After setting career highs of 59 home runs and 132 RBIs in 2017, Stanton was dealt to the Yankees, who agreed to pay New York $30 million to partially settle the $295 million owed to Stanton over the following ten years. Over the past six seasons, Stanton has missed 294 games due to injury and has been placed on the injured list eight times. The five-time All-Star is hitting during the first ten years of the contract.275 with 249
On the eve of the 2021–22 lockout, Texas finalized Seager’s contract. In 2023, he led the Rangers to their first World Series championship and won his second World Series MVP award after hitting three home runs and six RBIs against Arizona. During the first three years of the contract, he has 96 home runs, 253 RBIs, and an OPS of.875 with an average of.280.
In December 2023, he signed the longest and biggest contract ever for a pitcher in major league history. Yamamoto, a right-hander who turned 26 in August, was out of action from June 15 to September 10 due to triceps discomfort. He was 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts. In his four playoff starts, he was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA and defeated the Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series.