The New York Mets were involved in a historic bidding for free agent Juan Soto, who secured a 15-year contract worth an astonishing $765 million. He received the largest professional contract in sports history. While the Mets were keen on getting their man, there are five clear reasons why this could backfire for them. All statistics are sourced from Baseball Reference.
Mammoth expectations
The Mets play in the largest market in the country, so they’re no stranger to attention and pressure. With that said, they’ve been able to somewhat fly under the radar, playing in the same city as the New York Yankees. However, with the ink now dry on the Soto contract, they won’t have that luxury anymore.
According to the New York Post, Mets owner Steve Cohen told Juan Soto during their free agent meeting that he wanted to win two to four World Series in the next decade. Those lofty goals reportedly resonated with Soto, who just played in the World Series in 2024 with the Yankees. The Mets will now have no choice but to meet those expectations, or this move will be viewed as a failure.
Give me my money
It was pretty clear that Soto was going to chase every last dollar during free agency, which was well within his right. Some thought the Yankees might be able to get a discount after making the World Series with Soto, but the generational hitter nixed that notion. He told USA Today, “I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m going to be available to all 30 teams.”
A lot of MLB’s gargantuan contracts have been negotiated in such a way that massages the financial burden on a club, or at least spreads it out over a long period of time. In Juan Soto’s case, he was not interested in collecting any of the money long after his playing days were over. As CBS Sports and others have noted, Soto’s contract includes no deferred money.
Asking for the sun and the moon
It wasn’t just the contract that Soto and his agent Scott Boras were after. The exemplary hitter also wanted perks that other teams were not willing to agree to. For example, Essentially Sports and others wrote about Soto’s request to have a complimentary suite available for his family during all home games. The Yankees weren’t comfortable including this in addition to their contract offer.
Soto’s deal eclipses the total value that the Los Angeles Dodgers gave Shohei Ohtani during the winter of 2023. The Japanese star received a 10-year, $700 million deal at that time, with the idea that he would be able to contribute at the plate and on the mound. While Ohtani didn’t pitch in his first Dodgers season, it looks like there’s a chance he’ll be able to throw in year two.
Make it make cents
Soto is not going to pitch in New York, and he doesn’t figure to be a factor on the basepaths either. Ohtani created his own club during the 2024 season, becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same year. Soto isn’t going to steal bases at that clip, so he’ll have to challenge for the triple crown at the plate to make his contract appear worth it.
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