MLB Insider Reveals New York Yankees' Final Offer to Star Free Agent Juan Soto

The New York Post's Jon Heyman sent shockwaves across the baseball world when he reported that the New York Mets had signed free agent Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract on Sunday night.

Mere moments later, he revealed just how close the New York Yankees came to retaining their superstar outfielder.

According to Heyman, the Yankees' final bid for Soto was $760 million over 16 years. While they offered Soto an extra year compared to the Mets, the average annual value was $4.125 million lower.

Either way, Soto would have inked the largest contract in sports history, breaking the record set by Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers last winter. He opted to move to Queens rather than stay in the Bronx, though, abandoning his now-former club at the altar.

Yankees bid $760M for 16 years. Soto is a Met.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2024

The Yankees traded Jhony Brito, Kyle Higashioka, Michael King, Drew Thorpe and Randy Vásquez to the San Diego Padres to acquire Soto last December, mortgaging their future for a short-term roll of the dice. While Soto did leave 12 months later, New York made sure to get the most out of the slugger while he was on the roster.

Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, a .989 OPS and a 7.9 WAR across 157 games in 2024. The 26-year-old made his fourth career All-Star appearance and claimed his fifth Silver Slugger Award, all while finishing third in AL MVP voting.

Alongside unanimous AL MVP Aaron Judge, Soto helped the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time in 15 years. The Fall Classic ended in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, and Soto's final game in pinstripes wound up being a disastrous Game 5 in which New York blew a five-run lead.

Soto will now head to a different borough in pursuit a title, joining a team that was willing to bid just a hair more than his last squad.

With more than two months left until Spring Training camp begins, the Yankees have plenty of time to sort out how they would like to spend the money they had set aside for Soto in 2025 and beyond. Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Teoscar Hernández, Anthony Santander, Alex Bregman, Max Fried and Corbin Burnes suddenly become much more feasible additions with Soto out the door.

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