ESPN Report : Chicago Cubs have just brought back another dominant MLB player from overseas from their bench….Read more

just signed the largest contract in sports history, agreeing to a 15-year deal with the Mets that guarantees him $765 million and can max out at $805 million. That easily eclipses Shohei Ohtani‘s $700 and dwarfs the two-way player’s $460 million-ish net present value, as none of Soto’s money is deferred. That means the Mets are on the hook for an MLB-record $51 million average annual value over the next decade and a half. The Yankees reportedly offered $760 million for 16 years and the Red Sox pushed to $700 million for 15 years.

Remember when people thought Soto was crazy for turning down the Nationals’ $440 million extension a couple years ago, a move that ultimately led to him being traded to San Diego? Despite having just turned 26, Soto is already playing for his fourth MLB team and second in New York City alone. This was the destination I’d predicted a while back, not like that’s much of a feat, and the fact that Soto made his decision so quickly — which is pretty impressive for a Scott Boras client — the Winter Meetings and offseason in general should really rev up.

Near the top of the list for Jed Hoyer is busting out his wakeboard to take advantage of the Soto aftermath. The Cubs have been working to establish Cody Bellinger as a much cheaper option for teams that missed out on Soto, though a price tag that’s roughly 15 times less even if Bellinger opts in for 2026 means more than three teams should be interested. I didn’t include the Dodgers, who just added Michael Conforto and could still be in the market to bring Teoscar Hernández back.