The biggest MLB free agent to sign this offseason was Juan Soto. It is rare for a player of his caliber to hit the open market, but he was set for a massive payday, and it made sense to see which team was willing to give it to him.
Soto left the New York Yankees after one season to sign with the New York Mets. His new contract is for 15 years and $765 million. The Yankees seemed unwilling to go that high for his services, and Soto recently spoke about the offseason negotiations.
Juan Soto Speaks On Yankees and Mets Offers
Soto went on Abriendo El Podcast to discuss his offseason and the offers he fielded in free agency. Some rumors were going around that Soto had a problem with the Yankees, including a security guard and asking for a luxury suite.
According to Hector Gomez, Soto said, “It’s not true that I had problems with a Yankees security guard; it’s not true that I asked for a luxury suite and it’s not true that the Yankees reached a point (in the offer) where the difference (with respect to the Mets’ offer) was $40 million.”
There was never a doubt that Soto was looking to break the bank. He did just that with the Mets. Soto signed the second-largest contract in sports history (behind Shohei Ohtani), and now, he hopes to prove the Mets right.
Soto Looking For Historic Season
When Ohtani signed his monster contract last season, many wondered how he would live up to a deal that big. He became the first player in MLB history with a 50-50 season and won his second-straight MVP award.
Undoubtedly, Ohtani was worth the money; the same can be said for Soto. Still, everyone wants to see what he will do now that he has the pressure of playing under a massive contract.
Soto joins a Mets team that lost in the NLCS last season, and he may be the missing piece that gets them over the top. Soto will be batting second to begin the season, behind Francisco Lindor and ahead of Pete Alonso.
The Mets have one of baseball’s most feared 1-3 hitters and should cause plenty of problems for opposing pitchers.
The Mets expect to win the World Series this year and for the next 15 years while Soto is still under contract. You make this move to win championships, and it will be interesting to see if Soto can help them bring home the trophy.