Could any current MLB star ever match Juan Soto’s staggering contract?
Soto shocked the baseball world when he signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets — the largest professional sports contract in history. It easily surpassed Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers from just one year prior.
Since Ohtani’s contract is 98% deferred, the annual average value of his deal works out to around $46 million per year. Soto, however, has no deferred money in his agreement, making his average annual value a record $51 million.
There’s a possibility this figure could climb even higher. Soto has an opt-out clause after the 2029 season, but the Mets can negate that by increasing his salary by $4 million annually, potentially making it an $805 million contract.
Two premier free agents will hit the market after the 2025 season in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kyle Tucker. While both will undoubtedly receive massive paydays, it’s highly unlikely they’ll come anywhere close to matching Soto’s total value or average annual salary.
However, one MLB insider believes there’s a young All-Star who could eventually reach similar financial heights.
Insider: All-Star shortstop has best chance of commanding $50 million annually
In a recent column about contract extensions, The Athletic’s Tim Britton suggests that Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson has the best shot at reaching Soto’s $51 million annual average value.
“It’s hard to imagine another player catching Juan Soto in terms of total contract value. But Henderson might be the active player with the best chance of approaching Soto’s $51 million average annual value. Another MVP-caliber season from the shortstop, and this price will go up yet again,” Britton writes.
Henderson has already established himself as one of baseball’s elite talents at just 23 years old. He was named the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year and earned his first All-Star selection last season after hitting 31 home runs with an .893 OPS, 159 OPS+, and an exceptional 9.1 bWAR.
Henderson has guided the Orioles to playoff appearances in his first two full seasons and finished in the top eight of AL MVP voting twice.
The young star remains under team control for three more seasons and won’t reach free agency until after the 2028 campaign when he’ll be 26 — coincidentally the same age as Soto when he landed his record deal. If the Orioles want to secure Henderson with an extension well before free agency, Britton projects the contract would land around 12 years and $375 million.
If Henderson continues his trajectory of excellence without any significant setbacks, and the Orioles delay signing him to an extension, the shortstop’s price tag will only continue to climb.
