Juan Soto is inching closer to signing one of the largest contracts in sports history, and there is now talk that he could claim the top spot.
Shohei Ohtani signed the richest sports contract ever last year when he agreed to a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to a story from ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Buster Olney that was published on Thursday, there is a “possibility” that Soto could land a contract with a total value of $750 million over 15 years.
A $750 million contract would surpass Ohtani’s deal as the richest in professional sports history. A large portion of Ohtani’s contract is deferred, which lowers the present-day value of the deal. If Soto were to land a $750 million contract, the deal would likely include deferrals as well.
The bidding for Soto has reportedly surpassed $600 million already. Five teams are believed to have made serious offers to the young outfielder — the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox.
Soto just turned 26 years old, so a 15-year deal is not out of the question. It also works in his favor that there are several teams with seemingly legitimate interest. Following the Dodgers’ model with deferred money might be the most effective way for a team to win the bidding war.
Soto has made four straight All-Star teams and is coming off one of his best offensive seasons. He batted .288 with a .989 OPS and slugged 41 home runs. His 128 runs scored were a career-high and led the league.
