The New York Mets shattered sports records when they gave Juan Soto an absurd $765 million contract in December. Well, the star outfielder claims one of his suitors actually made him an offer for even more money.
There is a ton of excitement surrounding the Mets this spring. They have an MVP candidate in Francisco Lindor. Elite slugger Pete Alonso, and rising youngsters like Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez. However, a huge reason fans are hopeful about the team this season is the addition of former New York Yankees star Juan Soto.
The outfielder was at the center of one of the biggest bidding wars in sports history this offseason. As wealthy MLB clubs looked to lock up the 26-year-old for the prime seasons of what has already been an impressive career. In a new interview this week with Abriendo Sports, Soto confirmed which teams were the finalists to land his services in the offseason.
Those clubs were the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays. However, it seems the team from Queens did not make the largest offer.
- Juan Soto stats (2024): .288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG, .989 OPS, 41 HR, 109 RBI, 128 R
Did the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox outbid New York Mets for Juan Soto?
When asked why he picked the Mets, Soto claimed it was a group decision, and that more than one of those five teams actually gave a bigger offer than New York’s 15-year, $765 million bid. Considering the Mets crushed the previous record of $700 million given to Shohei Ohtani in 2023, it is stunning that there were actually larger bids.
So which team was willing to spend more than $765 million? After the news broke that he was headed to Queens, reports emerged the Yankees’ offer was for $760 million. The Dodgers have thrown around huge sums of money the last couple of years. However, it is unlikely they were willing to pay him more than Ohtani over the life of the deal. Although there is a chance they may have offered more annually on a short-term pact.
- Juan Soto contract: 15 years, $765 million
That leaves the Blue Jays and Red Sox. Toronto was reportedly willing to give Ohtani $700 million last year. It makes sense if they were willing to go over $765 million to avoid losing the top player on the market for a second straight year.
Boston showed how far they are willing to go this winter when they gave Alex Bregman a massive deal for three years and $120 million last month. Soto is a far better player than Bregman. So it is probable the Red Sox also were willing to go to absurd levels to lure him away from the Yankees.
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