New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is excited about playing in the Big Apple after being acquired in a blockbuster trade from the San Diego Padres earlier in the winter.
Soto, 25, will now be well compensated for it. According to multiple media reports, Soto and the Yankees have avoided arbitration. He’ll play under a one-year, $31 million contract.
As ESPN’s Jeff Passan notes, this is the richest contract for an arbitration player in the history of baseball. It surpasses the one-year, $30 million deal Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels last offseason.
Related: Risk in New York Yankees trade for Juan Soto got bigger after Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal
Juan Soto stats (2023): .275 average, 35 HR, 109 RBI, .930 OPS
Soto will now be eligible to hit free agency next offseason should of the two sides fail to come to an agreement on a long-term contract. With Scott Boras as his agent, that seems highly unlikely. Soto earned $23 million last season while under arbitration with the Padres.
“My mindset is to come here to play baseball and try to win a championship,” Soto said after the blockbuster trade when asked if he plans on signing a long-term contract.