Top MLB insider Ken Rosenthal claimed recently he expects once Juan Soto hits the open market this winter, he will get a bigger contract than Shohei Ohtani, however, it will not be more than $700 million. Confused? We’ll explain.
Heading into the MLB games today the New York Yankees are in a first-place tie with the defending division champion Baltimore Orioles. A major reason for that is the outstanding play of new Yankee Juan Soto. The Padres and Nationals veteran has led the way on offense and currently has the most home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, and average on the team right now.
- Juan Soto stats (2024): .324 AVG, .437 OBP, .588 SLG, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 18 R
While he was already seen as one of the best players in the sport, the 25-year-old is set to have an amazing season just in time for a jump into MLB free agency later this year. He was expected to earn a massive contract in the offseason but during an appearance on the “Foul Territory Show,” The Athletic’s MLB insider Ken Rosenthal made a very bold prediction about what Juan Soto will get.
“I believe he’s going to get more money than Ohtani,” Rosenthal said. “Not more than $700 [million]. I believe he’s going to beat his present-day value. Which was $460 [million]. The Ohtani deal with the deferrals factored in, present-day value is $460 [million]. Do I believe Juan Soto will get more than that? I will bet you right now that he gets more than that.”
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Would the New York Yankees or New York Mets be willing to pay Juan Soto $50 million per season?
The host of the podcast, MLB veteran AJ Pierzynksi was flabbergasted at the revelation and didn’t believe any team would be willing to pay him around $50 million a year in a potential contract. However, Rosenthal has little doubt organizations like the New York Mets and New York Yankees can and will pay that high a price for the player headed to a fourth All-Star game.
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“Mets. Yankees. There are teams out there,” he said. “Can the Yankees afford him? Yes. The Mets will have a lot more payroll flexibility at the end of this season. And I would expect for Juan Soto you will see other teams enter the fray as well. It’s Juan Soto, man.”
Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the season. However, large chunks of it are deferred until after the contract ends, so the actual yearly cost — based on calculations from the MLB Commissioner’s Office — is around $46 million. So, that is why Juan Soto could get a bigger deal than the Japanese superstar in terms of pay during the actual period of the pact.
