A new rumor suggests that New York Yankees star Juan Soto and his agent could be aiming to surpass the record-shattering contract Shohei Ohtani received last winter.
The Yankees are just days away from kicking off their World Series matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team has overcome some ups and downs during the summer to reach the doorstep of bringing an 18th MLB championship to New York.
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Team captain Aaron Judge is likely to earn the 2024 American League MVP Award. However, they don’t reach this point without the impressive play of outfielder Juan Soto. After acquiring him in a blockbuster trade in the offseason, the 25-year-old has been everything they could hope for and more. However, there has been a dark cloud hanging over his All-Star season all year.
Soto’s impending free agency has been one of the biggest stories in baseball for months. And what he could earn in a potential deal has garnered wild speculation. After turning down a $440 million deal from the Washington Nationals a few years ago, the belief has long been he would surpass $500 million in his next contract.
However, that number continues to rise. And a recent report has suggested Juan Soto could get the second-biggest MLB contract of all time and land a deal worth around $600 million. Well, that may still not be enough to sign the four-time All-Star.
On Tuesday, The Athletic published a new story looking at Soto’s always-increasing value. The outlet noted in the piece that multiple people told them this spring they believe “Soto’s camp is after Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking deal.” The Los Angeles Dodgers star was given a deal worth $700 million in the winter. However, the contract features a huge amount of deferred payments.
Juan Soto stats (2024): .288 AVG, .419 OBP, .569 SLG, .989 OPS, 41 HR, 109 RBI, 128 R
Is Juan Soto’s agent aiming to get his client similar money to Shohei Ohtani?
That’s why the assumption since then is that Soto is looking to beat the Japanese star in yearly pay. Ohtani will make just under $44 million annually from the Dodgers. However, Soto’s agent Scott Boras may actually be looking at breaking the overall contract record.
“Soto, making $31 million in his final arbitration year, could easily eclipse that number. And set a new record, though Ohtani’s overall number of $700 million still seems like a pipe dream unless Soto is willing to accept heavy deferrals,” The Athletic reported.
“It’s worth noting that it’s not unheard of for Scott Boras clients to accept heavy deferrals. Soto’s former teammate Max Scherzer signed a seven-year, $210 million deal before the 2015 season that had record deferrals at the time.”
Juan Soto is expected to get many bids in the winter. Including from the Yankees, and rivals the New York Mets — who are backed by the richest owner in the game. If the soon-to-be 26-year-old leads New York to a championship this month, a deal worth $700 million will start to seem less and less ridiculous.