Juan Soto’s Next Contract Could Approach ‘Something Closer to $800 Million’

Outfielder Juan Soto is the top player available in free agency this winter. The entire baseball world is waiting to see where the 26-year-old decides to play for the next decade-plus of his career.

Will he re-sign with the New York Yankees, or go across town to play for the New York Mets? Could he remain in the American League East to play for the Toronto Blue Jays or Boston Red Sox? What about signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers? While both New York teams have consistently been viewed as favorites, it’s anyone’s guess as to where Soto will land.

The amount of money Soto will get has also been debated for quite a while. Predictions have consistently landed in the $600 million range, with some going further than that. ESPN’s Buster Olney floated the idea of Soto landing a 15-year, $750 million deal. Could competition between interested teams push it even higher?

The Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers are the publicly known teams still in the running for Soto. MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported Thursday that negotiations are “coming to a head” and a decision could be made before the Winter Meetings start Monday. He also shared the possibility of Soto’s deal surpassing even the most aggressive predictions.

“It’s believed that every team that remains engaged on Soto has made an offer of at least $600 million, but with competition intensifying, one industry source said it would not be surprising if the winning bid surpassed the $700 million mark and perhaps even approached something closer to $800 million,” McAdam wrote.

Depending on how much deferred money is included, this type of contract would break all kinds of records. While Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal from last winter is the standard, the present-day value is around $460 million since $680 million of it is deferred.

It’ll be fascinating to see what the real contract numbers will be and where Soto officially lands for the long haul. Coming to a decision will also allow the rest of the free agent market to start moving.

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