ESPN: The general manager of the Mets offers Juan Soto a 13-year peanuts deal.
Steve Phillips of MLB Network Radio is familiar with the Mets-Yankees intra-city rivalry. He supervised the Yankees’ victory in the first World Series meeting between the two clubs in 2000 while serving as general manager of the Mets from 1997 to 2003. Now that the two teams are vying for free agency slugger Juan Soto, Phillips can watch the New York rivalry from a distance.
According to reports, Soto is looking for a 15-year deal of at least $700 million. A deal of such magnitude may establish a baseball player’s record in terms of years and money. In December 2023, Shohei Ohtani signed a seven hundred million dollar, ten-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the MLB Players Association calculated that the deal’s total present-day worth was $437,830,563 because of the deferred money. However, it is uncommon for discussions to begin with the player’s requested terms. It’s interesting to think where teams will start bidding once their early proposals come in.
Phillips stated on Tuesday on Twitter/X that he will make Soto an initial offer of $520 million over 13 years, or an average of $40 million each year. Soto is younger than the majority of free agents at 26. In seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees, he has hit 201 home runs, earned a World Series ring, and been selected to four All-Star teams.
Batting ahead of Judge in 2024, Soto hit 41 home runs, drove in 109, scored an AL-high 128 runs, and reached base at a.419 clip. Soto helped lead the Yankees back to the World Series for the first time since 2009 and finished third in the MVP vote, only surpassed by Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Yankees teammate Aaron Judge.
This month, the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers visited with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Southern California. According to reports, each team sent a manager along with a representative from ownership and the baseball operations department (a general manager or president of baseball operations).
Most people anticipate that Soto will sign during the week of the Winter Meetings, which will take place in Dallas, Texas, from December 8–12.
