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On Sunday night, Juan Soto stunned the entire sports world by agreeing to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets — the most expensive contract in professional sports history in terms of total value. Soto caused a bit of a hubbub, especially after deciding to join the Mets after putting up his best season as a professional with the New York Yankees — his new team's sworn crosstown rival.
In the end, the Mets offered a contract with a higher average annual value than the Yankees did, with the team in pinstripes offering Soto a 16-year, $760 million deal. But it wasn't just the higher AAV that tipped the scales in the Mets' favor, as they incentivized Soto to sign even further by giving him the means to potentially earn $40 million more if everything goes according to plan.
According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, via Manny Gomez of NJ.com, the Mets, who gave Soto an opt-out in Year 5 of his deal, could void that opt-out and instead tack on an additional $4 million per year in the final 10 years of his contract — with his contract potentially reaching up to a total of $805 million.
So in the end, the Mets simply did not offer $3.5 million per year than the Yankees did. Soto could make up to $6.1 million more per annum now that he signed with the Mets over the Yankees — making the most of his excellent 2024 season and cashing in as much money as he could. Now, he should have more than enough money set for life, as he will be under contract until he's 41 years of age.
The Mets emerge as the king of New York in beating Yankees to Juan Soto's signature
It did seem logical that the Yankees would be the favorite to sign Juan Soto to a long-term deal; Soto helped the Yankees reach their first World Series since 2009, forming a monster heart of the order duo with Aaron Judge. But in the end, the Yankees, inexplicably, couldn't match the Mets' offer despite being the league's biggest financial giant for so long.
As Stephen Meyer of Audacy pointed out, the Mets' offer over 15 years, if they void the opt out and add $40 million more to his total contract value, will allow Soto to make $91.5 million more than the Yankees' offer over the same time period. Now, the Yankees' offer tacked on an additional year, but Soto prioritized maximizing his earning potential — which he did by signing the richest contract in professional sports history.
