Juan Soto’s $765M deal with the Mets is the largest in MLB history. Here’s who he passed

Article content

Juan Soto and the New York Mets agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract Sunday night, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced and he was subject to completing a successful physical examination.

Article content

Article content

It is the 12th contract worth at least $325 million in Major League Baseball. Here’s the rest. The numbers were obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources and include all guaranteed income but not income from potential incentive bonuses. There is no difference between deferred funds:

Article content

Juan Soto, New York Mets, 2025-2039, $765 million

Soto’s deal easily surpassed Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million agreement the previous winter for what is believed to be the largest in sports history, and Soto’s contract includes no deferred payments. He rejected Washington’s $440 million, 15-year offer in 2022, and was later traded to San Diego and then the New York Yankees before hitting free agency at just 26 years old. Soto is the most accomplished free agent at that age since Alex Rodriguez agreed to a record $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texans in December 2000 when he was 25 years old.

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers, 2024-2033, $700 million

Because it includes $680 million in deferred money payable from 2034-43, the deal Ohtani agreed to as a free agent is valued differently in different ways. As for the luxury tax, it is reduced by 4.33% and is listed at approximately $46.08 million annually. The Players Association discounted it by 5%, amounting to about $43.7 million. For regular MLB payroll, it is discounted by 10% and listed at approximately $28.2 million.

Ohtani won his first World Series title and third MVP award in the first year of the deal after hitting .310 with an NL-best 54 homers, 130 RBIs and a 1.036 OPS. He stole 59 bases, becoming the first 50-50 player. He is expected to return to action in 2025 after recovering from elbow surgery.

Article content

Article content

Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels, 2019-30, $426.5 million

Trout won his third AL MVP award in the first year of the contract agreed to in March 2019, but the 11-time All-Star has played in just 266 games over the past four seasons due to a right calf strain, back spasms and fractures. Left hand and torn meniscus in left knee. He hit .281 in six seasons of the decade with 138 homers, 306 RBIs and a .995 OPS.

Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers, 2021-2032, $365 million

Betts agreed to the deal in July 2020, five months after being acquired by Boston, and helped the Dodgers win titles in 2020 and 2024. An eight-time All-Star, Betts hit .283 with 116 homers, 322 RBI, and 52 runs scored. Stolen bases and .899 OPS in the first four years of the deal.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees, 2023-2031, $360 million

Judge agreed to the deal after he became a free agent and was then named captain of the Yankees. Judge earned his fifth and sixth All-Star selections in the first two years of the contract, hitting .300 with 95 homers, 219 RBIs, 221 walks, and a 1.104 OPS. He helped the Yankees reach the 2024 World Series, their first appearance since winning the 2009 title.

Article content

Manny Machado, San Diego, 2023-2033, $350 million

Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres as a free agent in February 2019, giving him the right to opt out after the 2023 season and forfeit $150 million. The Padres gave him the new deal in March 2023, raising their commitment to him to $470 million over 14 seasons. He has a .275 average with 167 homers and 536 RBIs in six seasons with the Padres, and earned two All-Star selections bringing his career total to six. He has a .267 average with 59 homers and 196 RBIs in the first two seasons of his latest deal.

Francisco Lindor, New York Mets, 2022-31, $341 million

The Mets acquired Lindor from Cleveland in January 2021, and before Opening Day of 2021 he agreed to a 10-year deal starting in 2022. A four-time All-Star with Cleveland, he has yet to be selected to another All-Star game. with the Mets, though he was the NL runner-up to Ohtani in 2024. He has a .259 average with 110 homers, 359 RBIs and 86 stolen bases with New York, including a .266 average with 90 homers, and .296 of RBIs and 76 steals under the multi-year deal.

Article content

Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego, 2021-2034, $340 million

Tatis was just 22 years old when he agreed in February 2021 to what was at the time the longest deal in baseball history. Tatis did not play in 2022, recovering first from surgery for a broken left wrist suffered during a motorcycle accident, and then to an 80-game suspension for testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Clostebol; Tatis said he accidentally took a ringworm medication that contained the banned substance. Since signing the contract, Tatis has hit .271 with 88 homers, 224 RBIs, 65 stolen bases and an .855 OPS.

Bryce Harper, Philadelphia, 2019-31, $330 million

A 26-year-old free agent, Harper agreed to a contract in February 2019. He won his second NL MVP award in 2021 and was a two-time All-Star for the Phillies, bringing his total to eight. Harper is hitting .285 with 152 homers, 455 RBIs and a .924 OPS in 726 games over six years with the Phillies. The start of the 2023 season was postponed to May 2 following Tommy John surgery, an injury that caused the team to move from right field to first base.

Article content

Giancarlo Stanton, Miami/New York Yankees, 2015-2027, $325 million

Stanton’s contract was the largest and longest in baseball history when he and the Marlins agreed to the deal in November 2014, just after his 25th birthday. At the time, he was not scheduled to become eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season. Stanton hit career highs with 59 homers and 132 RBIs in 2017, then was traded to the Yankees in a deal in which the Marlins agreed to pay $30 million to New York to cover part of the $295 million owed to Stanton over the next 10 years. Stanton has been placed on the injured list eight times in the past six seasons, missing 294 games due to injuries. In the first decade of the decade, the five-time All-Star hit .249 with 275 homers, 704 RBIs and an .850 OPS.

Corey Seager, Texas, 2022-2031, $325 million

Texas finalized Seager’s deal on the eve of the 2021-22 lockout and he led the Rangers to their first World Series title in 2023, earning his second World Series MVP award after having three homers and six RBIs against Arizona. He had a .280 average with 96 homers, 253 RBIs, and an .875 OPS in the first three years of the contract.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers, 2024-2035, $325 million.

His December 2023 deal was the largest and longest for a player in major league history. Yamamoto, a right-hander who turns 26 in August, went 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts, and was sidelined between June 15 and September 10 with triceps tightness. He was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in four postseason appearances, beating the Yankees in Game Two of the World Series.

___

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Bloom contributed.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Article content