Juan Soto became the belle of the ball in this year's free agency, and understandably so. Soto entered the open market as a 26-year-old right fielder who has done nothing but produce ever since breaking through to the big leagues in 2019. And the New York Mets handsomely rewarded Soto for his consistent excellence, signing him to a 15-year, $765 million deal that will be worth $805 million for as long as Soto produces in the next five years.

Soto has been drawing rave reviews all season long, although retired Atlanta Braves third baseman and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones does not appreciate the hyperbole surrounding the Mets right fielder's name. In fact, Jones wants to reserve the superlatives for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, calling the two-way Japanese star the only player that's befitting of the “generational” descriptor.

“I’ve heard certain people say that Juan Soto was a generational type hitter. Juan Soto is a very, very good disciplined hitter but we’re throwing around the generational way too much. I mean the guy that is generational, was the guy who signed last year. Like that is a once in a generation type of player, talking about Ohtani,” Jones said in an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast.

Jones, who was a thorn in the Mets' side throughout his illustrious Braves career that spanned 20 years, chalked up the Mets' decision to sign Soto to a record-setting contract to the headline warfare that they and the Yankees are engaged in.

“Again the value is in the eye of the beholder and we all know how competitive the back of the New York Post is. Whoever resides on the back page wins the day and the Yankees and Mets they compete for that page non-stop. Steve Cohen and the Mets decided they wanted to own the back page for a little bit and they got it,” Jones added.

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Mets break the bank for Juan Soto much to Chipper Jones' chagrin

New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto poses for photos during his introductory press conference at Citi Field.
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There is indeed some merit to Chipper Jones' notion that Shohei Ohtani is the one deserving of the “generational” descriptor. After all, no one has ever seen an MLB player be elite both on the hitting and pitching side of the ball, with Babe Ruth having to give up his pitching career (mostly) after 1921.

The Braves legend believes that if Soto entered free agency before Ohtani and signed for $765 million like he did with the Mets, then the Dodgers may have had to offer the entire franchise just to bring the Japanese star aboard.

“If Soto signs first and Ohtani comes up a year later and Soto got $765 than there’s no doubt in my mind that Ohtani gets a billion,” Jones said.