Inside The Mets

Juan Soto reveals Mets didn't offer him biggest contract

The New York Mets didn't offer Juan Soto the largest free agency contract, according to Soto.
Feb 24, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Feb 24, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Juan Soto signed the biggest contract in sports history back in December after the New York Mets offered him a 15-year, $765 million deal.

This is a staggering amount of money to give to any player, and is certainly a risk for the Mets considering the ever-present risk of injury that exists for any professional athlete.

However, given Soto's star power, the potential for him to compete for NL MVP for all 15 of those seasons, and the Mets becoming immediate World Series contenders for the near future shows that there's also a chance this contract could become a bargain by the time it expires.

The sweepstakes to sign Soto was the story of the offseason before his ultimate decision was made. And while it was known which teams were considered finalists to sign him (the Mets, the New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers), only two of those teams' final offers (the Mets and the Yankees, who reportedly offered him 16 years and $760 million) were disclosed.

Read more: Ex-Mets starter viewed as AL West team's under-the-radar move

However, during his recent appearance on the Abriendo Sports podcast, Soto revealed that the Mets weren't the team that offered him the most lucrative deal.

"The Mets didn't offer the most money," Soto said (in translated Spanish) during the podcast, per an X post from Mike Rodriguez. He then added, "Some teams offered more."

Soto saying "teams" offered him more implies that at least two clubs outbid the Mets. While it may never be known whether that was one of these five finalists, the bottom line is that money clearly wasn't the sole reason why Soto ended up in Queens.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.