Yankees' Juan Soto Contract Figures Predicted by Experts, Per Insider

Find out what experts are predicting Yankees superstar Juan Soto will receive in free agency, per MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

Aug 14, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a home run against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

In just one season Juan Soto has transformed the New York Yankees into a legitimate World Series contender again, but his looming contract situation is being monitored around baseball.

For now, Soto is having yet another spectacular campaign. Entering August 15, the three-time All-Star is slashing .307/.438/.615/1.052 with 34 home runs, 87 RBI, leads the American League with 103 runs scored, and is tied for the AL lead in walks with 102, all in his first season with the Yankees. Soto and Aaron Judge hitting No. 2 and No. 3 in the batting order has been a borderline out-of-body experience for baseball historians.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are so much better than everyone else it’s actually hilarious pic.twitter.com/qQBeK99lPV

— Barry (Aaron Judge enjoyer) (@YanksBar) August 15, 2024

Outside of Soto currently being fifth in batting average (Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. leads the majors at .349, with Judge right behind him hitting .333), Soto ranks 1-3 in virtually almost every major offensive statistical category. With 75% of the regular season now completed, speculation has started on the type of money Soto will command once he becomes a free agent this upcoming offseason.

New York Post columnist and longtime baseball insider Jon Heyman exclusively reported the projected salary range 13 experts predicted for Soto if he hits the open market. 

https://t.co/HH7zCNUine. 13 experts predict Juan Soto’s contract. Says one who pegged it $550M-plus.: “If the Yankees and Mets get into a pissing match, the sky’s the limit.”

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 15, 2024

Potential framework of a long-term deal starts with the 12-year, $426.5 million contract Mike Trout signed with the Los Angeles Angels back in 2019. Most experts agree, a contract would require 10-14 years, with a salary figure of $480-550 million to land Soto’s services. That would take the 25-year-old Soto, who turns 26 on October 25, to the end of his career in a similar manner to the contracts Trout and Bryce Harper signed.

The Yankees and Soto avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year, $31 million contract on January 11, exceeding the previous record for an arbitration-eligible player (Shohei Ohtani, now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, $30 million in 2023). Expectations are that Soto, who already won a World Series championship ring with the Washington Nationals in 2019, could command the largest contract in the history of the sport for a hitter.

In addition to General Manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees being interested in retaining the superstar outfielder, other organizations like the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies (already offered Harper a similar lifetime-type contract just a few years ago), per Heyman’s reporting, have been linked as possible suitors for Soto beyond the 2024 season. Heyman also included in this story that one expert mentioned: “If the Yankees and Mets get into a pissing match, the sky’s the limit.”

With a career 36 career WAR and a presence at the plate few players have ever been able to match, it is not out of the realm of possibility some team goes over the top and comes close to matching the 10-year, $700 million contract Ohtani signed with the Dodgers in December 2023, the richest in the history of the sport. How many players can boast hitting a home run in four consecutive at-bats? Soto did that this past series against the Chicago White Sox.

For now, the 72-50 Yankees lead the AL East by a half game on the Baltimore Orioles. They prepare for a three-game series this weekend against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, attempting to keep pace with the Cleveland Guardians (72-59) for the best record in baseball.