NEW YORK.- The Dominican star Juan Soto reached an agreement to join the New York Mets with a record contract of 15 years and 765 million dollars, according to several American media reported on Sunday.
Both ESPN and the Major League Baseball website reported that, if confirmed, it would be the largest contract in the history of North American professional sports.
Soto had become a free agent after playing last season for the New York Yankees, a team that was looking to retain the 26-year-old outfielder.
The deal eclipses the $700 million, 10-year contract the Los Angeles Dodgers signed with Japanese star Shohei Ohtani last year.
ESPN reported that Soto’s contract with the Mets could reach $800 million, if certain circumstances provided for in the document occur.
Soto’s future was in the sights of the Major Leagues. The Yankees had devised a plan to re-sign the Dominican, who hit 41 home runs and accumulated 166 hits for the Bronx team last season. Soto’s 41 home runs in 2024 ranked third in the American League, while he led the run-scoring chart with 128.
But the Mets will be the fourth team of Soto’s career.
The Dominican exploded in the Major Leagues during his first full season in 2019, collaborating with the Washington Nationals to obtain an unexpected victory in the World Series over the Houston Astros.
He turned down a multimillion-dollar offer to stay with the Nats in 2022 and finally joined the San Diego Padres in August of that year.
Longest contracts in MLB
Juan Soto: 15 years and $765 million.
Shohei Ohtani: 10 years and $700 million.
Mike Trout: 12 years and $426.5 million.
Mookie Betts: 12 years and $365 million.
Aaron Judge: 9 years and $360 million.
More lucrative contracts in other sports
Lionel Messi: 4 years and $674 million (FC Barcelona, 2017-2021, football)
Dak Prescott: 4 years and $240 million (Dallas Cowboys, NFL)
Jayson Tatum: 5 years and 314 million dollars (Boston Celtics, NBA)
Patrick Mahomes: 10 years and $450 million dollars (Kansas City Chiefs, NFL)
Karim Benzema: 2 years and $426.5 million dollars (Al-Ittihad, soccer)
Leon Draisaitl: 8 years and $112 million (Edmonton Oilers, NHL)
