Former Washington Nationals Star's Contract Could Exceed Ohtani In This Way
The belief by baseball industry experts is that former Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto will get on of the biggest deals in baseball history.
The New York Yankees are one team trying to make that happen.
On the YES Network on Monday, reporters were breaking down the Soto situation as it relates to the Yankees. Insider Jack Curry reported that New York and Soto have had several conversations, have exchanged offers and are comfortable where things are at in terms of negotiations.
Nothing is done yet. Another insider, MLB Network’s Jon Morosoi, said on Monday that Soto will likely have his decision made in the next 10 days.
Curry spoke to industry sources about what to expect from a potential Soto deal. It will be a “mega-contract,” as Curry put it.
"When Soto eventually signs, he will exceed the deal that Ohtani signed." 😲
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 2, 2024
- @JackCurryYES on what an inside source told him about Juan Soto's expected contract pic.twitter.com/0Nbz7d6zm4
And, in one respect, it may exceed Shohei Ohtani’s groundbreaking deal of an offseason ago.
“When Soto eventually signs he will exceed the deal that Ohtani signed,” Curry said. “Now I don't mean 10 years, $700 million. I mean the real value, which is $46 million a year.”
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal last offseason. But, $680 million is deferred money and Ohtani won’t see it until his contract is done. Due to that, the actual value of Ohtani’s deal, per year, is around that $46 million mark.
So what does that mean for total value? Well, last week the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that Soto is seeking a 15-year contract. That seems to be close to what Curry is hearing, too.
“When you start to think about what that means in terms of years, if it's a 12-, 13- or 14-year deal you're creeping up into the $600 million territory” Curry said.
If that’s the total value, it would be the second-richest contract in MLB history based on total dollars, behind Ohtani.
It makes the 15-year, $440 million extension that Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo offered Soto in 2022 look, well, quaint.
Soto has reportedly received five offers, all from large-market teams — the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays.
Soto is coming off his final season of team control as he slashed .288/.419/.569/.989 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI. He combined with Judge and the rest of the Yankees to get New York to the World Series, where it lost to the Dodgers.
Soto is just 26 years old and has already had an incredible career since he broke in with the Nationals in 2018 at age 19. While he's never been an MVP, he's been selected an All Star four times, finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting five times, won five silver sluggers and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series, the first in franchise history.
