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MLB Insiders Project Record-Breaking Ceiling for Juan Soto's New Contract

Ryan Phillips

Juan Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs for the New York Yankees in 2024.
Juan Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs for the New York Yankees in 2024. / David Richard-Imagn Images
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The countdown to Juan Soto's free agency decision is on, and we're starting to get an idea of just how big his impending contract might be.

MLB insiders Jeff Passan and Buster Olney discussed their contract projections for Soto in a new article for ESPN. Both reporters think Soto's deal could surpass the $700 million total value Shohei Ohtani got from the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Olney said, "It's a perfect storm of bidding, and through the use of deferrals, it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that the broad strokes of his deal could be something in the range of $750 million over 15 years."

To that prediction, Passan replied, "It's an enormous number. It could include deferred money. But less than a year after Shohei Ohtani signed a $700 million contract that shattered the previous record by nearly $275 million, Soto might exceed it."

That's a remarkable prediction that shows just how far the market may move for the 26-year-old slugger.

Soto is a massive prize, and the bidding appears to be down to the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. The winner will be getting a player on a Hall of Fame trajectory who already has four All-Star appearances, is a three-time All-MLB first-teamer, has won five Silver Slugger Awards and led the Washington Nationals to a World Series title in 2019.

In 2024 for the Yankees, Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and an OPS of .989. He also racked up a career-best WAR of 7.9.

Someone will be locking up a generational hitter—but they'll pay a high price to do so.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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