Details of Juan Soto’s contract make comparisons to Shohei Ohtani’s record tricky

It’s still possible that Shohei Ohtani’s contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers could surpass Juan Soto’s contract with the New York Mets – as currently reported, with the deal yet to be officially signed and approved by the league – as the most lucrative in MLB history.

In five years, we’ll know whether or not Soto exercised the opt-out clause in his 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets. Multiple media outlets providing details of Soto’s contract, including USA Today, report that Soto’s withdrawal triggers another clause in the contract.

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If Soto opts out, the Mets can effectively undo that by increasing Soto’s annual salary by $4 million from 2030 to 39, effectively keeping him under contract for 15 years.

Soto’s average annual salary in the first five years of the contract is $44 million, then increases to $51 million starting in year six — $55 million if Soto opts out and the Mets counter by raising his salary.

More news: Why Juan Soto chose the Mets: Former GM sets the record straight

This is a unique contract structure with no deferred money and a massive $75 million initial signing bonus. This represents an expenditure of more than $119 million in 2025, as highlighted Jon Heyman of the New York Postwho first announced the deal on Sunday evening:

Juan Soto contract details: $765 million, 15 years. $75M signing bonus (state tax benefit: Florida resident). approximately $120 million in overall salary in 2025. No deferred dollars. Unsubscribe after 5 years (30 years). Citi Field Family Suite (estimated value $500,000 plus one year) #put

– Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2024

Soto will earn $305 million between 2025 and 2029, at which point he must decide whether to retire. This is the minimum guarantee of his contract, as stated. That averages out to $61 million per year – a record for AAV, but not for the total contract value if he opts out.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com explained how this will work via Twitter/X:

Soto will earn a total of $305 million over the first five years of his contract with the Mets: $220 million in salary and a $75 million signing bonus, per source. This represents an AAV of $61 million. He can retire after 2029 unless the Mets increase his AAV over the last 10 years from $51 million to $55 million.

–Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 9, 2024

Indeed, Soto’s future profits can follow one of three possible paths:

• He is not opting out of his current deal after the 2029 season, locking him into a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets – a record for both total contract value and average annual value .
• He opts out of his contract in 2029, and the Mets choose not to opt out of Soto, making him a free agent. In this case, Soto’s current contract will be for five years and $305 million. Ohtani’s deal with the Dodgers would be a record for total value — but not for average annual value, because of the deferred money ($68 million per year) in Ohtani’s contract.
• Soto is opting out of his contract in 2029, and the Mets are voiding that option by exercising their right to increase his salary. If so, they would pay Soto a record $805 million over the life of the deal – a record both in terms of total contract value and average annual value.

Bottom line: We won’t know until after the 2029 season which contract is actually the largest in baseball history in terms of total value. Of course, if Soto retires and the Mets don’t counterattack by raising his salary from 2030 to 39, it’s probably because Soto thinks he can make even more than $805 million over the next 15 years.

Even if Soto’s first contract with the Mets doesn’t set a record for total value on its own, it’s almost certain that his next two contracts combined will.

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