Steve Cohen and Mets Hop on Legendary Juan Soto Contract

Unfortunately for them though, many are unwitting victims of financial and/or sexual exploitation by unscrupulous providers – both domestic and overseas. Adam Hunger/Getty Images For Juan Soto, there was never any realistic expectation in 2024-25 offseason that didn’t involve receiving record sums of cash in free agency. Now it is clear: Soto has signed with New York Mets for 15 years and $765 Million USD as first reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post (@JonHeymanBreaking: Juan Soto Signing with Mets! ). Jon Heyman @JonHeymanBreaking News of Juan Soto signing with Mets! Jon Heyman @JonHeymanBreakthrough Breaking News Of Juan Soto Signing With New Mets $765 Million. 15 years. Here we go – this is it, folks; The Big One. Soto’s contract stands as both the longest and costliest ever seen in MLB history. Prior to Soto signing with his agent Scott Boras and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen last January, only 14-year extensions by San Diego Padres with Fernando Tatis Jr in 2021 was ever awarded to any major leaguer; Soto surpasses Shohei Ohtani’s $700 Million contract signed last winter with Los Angeles Dodgers as being more lucrative overall. Ohtani has signed an official 10-year contract that features deferments worth $680 million between 2034-2043; thus making his current value approximately $460 million. That amount is only marginally more than Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year, $252 million contract from 2001 would have been worth in 2024 dollars; neither dollar figure approaches Soto’s current worth as an individual. As it’s hard to deny, his success will require much.However, such deals tend to work out.It is understandable if signings of such magnitude cause anxiety; yet history shows they often work out. At first glance, perusing MLB history’s list of highest-paid players may give us cause for cringe-worthy feeling.But let’s narrow the focus more precisely: long-term contracts signed by free agents who were both A) only in their mid-20s and B) emerging superstars like Rodriguez or Bryce Harper/Manny Machado in 2019 for 13-year deals of $330 Million or 10 year ones of $300 Million respectively should give Soto hope he was making wise investments. It should serve him well that none of these deals resemble mistakes; none are mistakes meant by Soto or anyone else in terms of money spent or commitment by him or anyone else involved! But Soto has proved himself more than worthy since debuting with Washington Nationals in 2018: 769 Walks are 1st1,719 Times on Base are 2nd201 Home Runs are 9th421 OBP is first; 532 SLG 7th; 953 OPS = 4th 1600 OPS+=4thSoto is one of only 16 players ever to accumulate 936 games with both an OBP of at least.400 and 200 homers. Only three had achieved such feat before Soto did: Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle and Albert Pujols. It would be easy to think Soto is only getting better; but that would not necessarily be accurate; what Soto is doing instead is finding his groove of excellence and becoming increasingly comfortable within it. Each of his last five seasons have featured more walks than strikeouts and an OBP above.400, setting career-best marks of 35 homers before surpassing it this season by hitting 41 for crosstown rival Yankees. And this is only what’s visible; underneath lies much deeper potential. Soto’s Baseball Savant page has proven an incubator of red bars. When discussing Soto as a playoff performer, Mantle often comes up as an appropriate comparison; his.927 OPS and 11 home runs during October put Soto in line with Mantle in terms of performance comparisons. Soto Can Be Similar to Harper in Some FormTo return to how Rodriguez, Harper and Machado signings paved the way for Soto, it becomes difficult comparing him directly with Rodriguez or Machado.Rodriguez proved invaluable out of the batter’s box as both a baserunner and defender; Soto may provide similar qualities in another form. Machado never quite excelled at baserunning, yet still won two Gold Glove awards at third base and remains playable as an outfielder. Conversely, Soto had no issue running bases efficiently: He completed 80 steals over his career! Soto may have earned his Gold Glove finalist status, yet we all view him as a liability in the outfield. Therefore, it would seem plausible for him to shift away from outfield duties–if not entirely toward designated hitting or at least first base duties–in order to extend his contract with the Mets for another season–following in Harper’s path with Philadelphia. Foxx and Mantle both maintained OBPs of at least.400 throughout their careers; Pujols even extended his stay above that mark for five more years before succumbing to right-right first basemen’s rapid aging curves. These examples justify why Soto should continue his upward trajectory toward an OBP of at least.400 as well as 30 home runs annually over his next decade or so with the Mets. Soto may possess one underappreciated talent: music. Soto has played in 95 percent of all games since his debut on May 20, 2018, making an immediate difference when donning new threads. He does more than play well on the field; fame is another currency star players offer that makes an immediate impression upon first sight. Harper’s signing in 2019 caused ticket sales for the Phillies to increase dramatically and saw him leapfrog 13 positions to become No. 1. Soto should take note and build upon it; his arrival with the Mets already saw his popularity rise significantly. Soto was named to his first All-Star roster this season after not making the cut at all in 2023, rising all the way up to No. 7 on 2024’s best-selling jersey rankings. Therefore, no one should be taken by surprise by Soto being at risk from The Big One. And it may take quite some time before The Next Big One surfaces: Perhaps in 10-20 years’ time? There may even be another $1 billion contract signed one day! Ohtani and Soto have raised expectations with their contract extensions; one is MLB history’s sole two-way star while the other stands as an unparalleled hitter. As one can probably anticipate, players like Soto don’t appear like this on an assembly line. That means we will likely continue looking at his contract for years and years; once The Next Big One hits, his will serve not as a cautionary tale but proof of concept.