DALLAS — All along, the Mets were perceived as a serious threat to sign Juan Soto. It turns out they were.
Soto is headed to the Mets on a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract, as first reported by FanSided’s Jon Heyman. The deal reportedly includes no deferred money, an opt-out clause after five seasons and has escalators that can take it above $800 million. The Red Sox made a best and final offer of around 15 years and $700 million, according to an industry source, but became more pessimistic on the chances of landing him throughout the day Sunday as the Winter Meetings got underway at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. Boston’s most aggressive free agent pursuit in recent memory ended swiftly in disappointing — yet somewhat expected — fashion.
The news brings to an end one of the most dramatic, high-stakes free agent recruiting process in recent history. Soto reportedly had record-setting offers from big-market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers but all along, the Mets and super-aggressive owner Steve Cohen were the perceived favorites to land him. His deal is the largest in team history and includes a whopping, $51 million average annual value. The Red Sox were said to be offering him around $46 million per year, which would have easily been the biggest contract in franchise history
Boston entered the winter intent on adding pitching help but — in a surprise, considering their glut of left-handed outfield bats — made a strong run at Soto, with a group led by chairman Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy meeting with him in southern California on November 14. Soto was said to be intrigued by Boston’s strong history of Dominican-born stars and the idea of playing at hitter-friendly Fenway Park. Boston pitched Soto on something the Aaron Judge-led Yankees and Francisco Lindor-led Mets could not — being the unquestioned face of their team, something the reserved Rafael Devers likely wouldn’t mind at all. Earlier Sunday, an industry source described Boston’s efforts on the Soto pursuit, to this point, as an all-hands-on-deck, “A+ effort,” though it ultimately fell short when New York was able to guarantee significantly more money.
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Soto, who turned 26 in October at the same time he appeared in his second World Series, put himself in position for the mega-deal with an excellent platform year in the Bronx after the Yankees acquired him in a blockbuster December trade. Soto finished third in the American League MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 31 doubles, 109 RBIs, a .419 on-base percentage and .989 OPS in 157 games. He was named an All-Star for the fourth-time since 2021 and won his fifth Silver Slugger. In seven years with Washington, San Diego and New York, he’s a career .285 hitter with 201 homers, 592 RBIs, a .421 on-base percentage and a .953 OPS. He has walked more than he has struck out (769 walks, 696 strikeouts) and did that again in 2024, (129 walks, 119 strikeouts).
With Soto off the board, the free agent market is expected to move fast as executives and agents gather in Dallas for the Winter Meetings, which officially begin Monday. Starters Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Sean Manaea as well as position players Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández all remain unsigned. The teams that lost out in the Soto pursuit are expected to aggressively re-allocate money elsewhere, leading to a strong market for those players.
Of the remaining free agents, Burnes and Fried, as well as the right-handed hitting Hernández, make the most sense for the Red Sox, whose offense took a hit Saturday when news broke that 2024 home run leader Tyler O’Neill agreed to sign with Baltimore. Hernández is expected to be a main fallback option for Boston but the Red Sox won’t be alone. The Yankees and Dodgers are expected to aggressively pursue him as well.
