BREAKING: Superstar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets are in agreement on a 15-year, $765 million contract, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest deal in professional sports history.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2024
The bidding war for Juan Soto has finally come to a close, with Steve Cohen and the Mets emerging victorious in their pursuit of the superstar outfielder. What a wild ride it was, with rumors and speculation running rampant for weeks on end; it was clear no one, not even the most trusted reporters, had any real insight about what decision Soto was going to make.
It was quite comical to see other teams, such as the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Dodgers, be used as leverage or distractions in these negotiations. It was pretty clear, to people paying attention, he was going to stay in New York, we all just had to wait and see which team it would be for.
It came down to a few stipulations, but in the end, Soto did what he said he was going to do: go to the highest bidder. Steve Cohen, referred to lovingly as “Uncle Steve” by Mets faithful, would not be denied. At some point, the counter offers had to stop, but the Yankees made about as good of an offer as possible.
Juan Soto signed for a record-breaking 15 years, $765 million with the Mets, the Yankees reported last offer was 16 years, $760 million. The contracts were fairly even, but what put the Mets over the top was the opt-out Soto can exercise after the 2029 season. The Mets can then void the opt-out via a $4 million dollar raise per season for the last 10 years of the contract, bringing the total value to $805 million.
Largest contracts in the history of professional sports:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) December 9, 2024
$765M — Soto (Mets)
$700M — Ohtani (Dodgers)
$674M — Messi (Barcelona)
$536.3M — Ronaldo (Al Nassr)
$450M — Mahomes (Chiefs) pic.twitter.com/91X4oqKMid
History for the Mets
It was an historic Sunday evening for the Metropolitans. Not only did they dish out the most lucrative contract in the history of sports, but they did something that they previously have never attempted: outbid the New York Yankees. Say what you will about the current state of Yankees ownership, they have never willingly had someone leave them to go to the Mets, especially when they were also willing to pay Soto.
When Steve Cohen purchased the Mets, he made a vow to turn the franchise into a competitor, to walk out of the shadow of the big bad Yankees. This was it. The Mets are the ones shelling out crazy amounts of cash for superstars, they’re the ones calling the shots. Backed by the richest owner in the sport, the Mets may be the new “Evil Empire.” Surely Uncle Steve isn’t done. The Mets need a lot of help in their rotation and bullpen, I suspect Cohen will throw more money at those problems. All the expectations and lights will be on them this season, let’s see if they can live up to it.
.@JeffPassan right now on @SportsCenter:
— The Draftnik (@draftniks) December 9, 2024
"In the end, Juan Soto looked at the Mets' future and he looked at the Yankees' future, and decided that the #Mets had a better future than the #Yankees. That is the story of how the New York Mets got Juan Soto."
CHILLS!#Mets #Yankees
Yankees Next Move
The Yankees need to pivot, but they can’t panic. They can’t make a heinous trade for someone like Nolan Arenado (although if the price is right they should consider it), and they can’t spend money just to spend it on veterans that won’t improve the team. Caleb Durbin and Jasson Dominguez are in-line to have significant roles next season with the departures of Soto and Gleyber Torres, and the Bombers still have Jazz Chisolm Jr. under contract for a few more years.
The Yankees will most likely have to focus a majority of their funds on pitching. Walker Beuhler, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty, and Corbin Burns are all still on the board. Relievers are a must too.
Soto was a one year rental, and now he’s gone. Ideally the Yankees had a contingency plan for him leaving, but who knows what goes on with Cashman and Hal anymore. The allure of the pinstripes has been degraded so much, I doubt it really means much of anything to free agents anymore. They are going to have to be aggressive and hunt for players to fill out this roster. There won’t be a line out the door of players wanting to be Yankees. That has dissipated with the lack of championships, and Soto proved it.
Soto’s Legacy
Yankees fans are surely to be disappointed with Soto’s decision to join the Mets. However, you can weed out the obnoxious fan with the rational fan pretty easily, just ask what they think about the decision. Real fans will understand that it was a one year rental, that the Yankees had their shot but fell short to the Dodgers in the World Series, and that Soto said he’d go to the highest bidder (which he did). That’s the name of the game. Time to move on and make some additions to win an American League that is really not that strong in comparison to some of the rosters in the NL.
Fake fans, bandwagoners even, will be furious. You’ll see videos of jerseys burning, tweets cursing Soto’s name, saying they are now a Soto hate account, disparaging a player that just helped their own team get over the hump and get back to the World Series. Soto was the catalyst for getting there, and it’s embarrassing to see these reaction that give Yankees fans an insufferable reputation. I say all this as a Yankees fan myself.
Soto brought me many happy moments in the regular season and the postseason, and I desperately wanted him to stay, but that’s not the decision he made. So be it. Now, what are Cashman and Steinbrenner going to do about it?
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