Why Juan Soto’s $765 million deal with the NY Mets is bad for MLB
Juan Soto broke the internet when he signed the 15-year $765 million deal with the New York Mets, the biggest in professional sports.
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Juan Soto (Image via Imago)
One of the biggest talking points in sports this week has been the multi-million dollar deal of Juan Soto. The 4-time MLB All-Star penned down the biggest contract in professional sports history when he agreed to join the New York Mets on a staggering 15-year $765 million deal.
Soto made a name for himself early on his career while playing for the Washington Nationals. The Dominican international was one of the key names in the National League’s side 2019 World Series triumph.
In 2022, Soto rejected a 15-year $440 million deal from the Nationals. A few weeks after winning the 2022 Home Run Derby, Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres. After spending one year with them, he arrived at the Bronx.
The New York Yankees, probably the biggest name in MLB, landed Soto through a trade. In the 2024 season, Soto slammed 41 home runs and played an integral part in the team’s trip to the World Series. After achieving such success and affection from the fans, Soto shocked the world when he decided to pick the Mets over the Yankees.
As mentioned above, Soto’s deal is not only the largest in MLB history but the biggest in sports. However, this deal is not a good one for the MLB. Lets delve deeper and find out why.
Inflation of player contracts
When Juan Soto joined the New York Yankees in 2023, all eyes of the MLB world were on another player. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani was on the free agency market, with several teams trying to land him. The Japanese international joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 10-year $700 million deal. At that time, it seemed like this deal would be the record-setting one in MLB for years to come.
Just a year later, Soto has broken that record. Unlike the Ohtani deal which has $680 million deferred money, Soto will receive his cash upfront. This deal will now become the new benchmark for future players.
Sure given the current inflation, the prices will go up in the upcoming years. But is any player worth over $1 billion dollars? The Soto’s $765 million deal will make top players and their agents demand such an hefty fee.
Juan Soto’s deal with the Mets could become a major turning point just like Neymar Jr.‘s $263 million (€222 million) deal with Paris Saint Germain in 2017. After his move from FC Barcelona to PSG, several deals in soccer have crossed the 9-digit mark. Like Neymar Jr.’s deal, Soto’s deal could see future stars break the market with more than $800 million deals.
![Juan Soto [Image Credit: Imago]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Juan-Soto-3-600x338.jpg)
Uneven distribution of wealth
After the loss in the 2024 World Series, Soto expressed that he was open to joining all 30 teams in MLB. At that point, everybody knew that won’t be the case and he would pick a big market team.
The Mets have the money to pursue stars like Soto. Team owner Steve Cohen has a net worth of $21.4 billion. This makes him one of the richest team owners across the globe.
When he purchased the team in 2020, Cohen said he would put money into the team to land the stars they need. A year later he would land superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor on a 10-year $341 million deal.
Since then Cohen has committed to spending big bucks to create a team to compete for the World Series. This though has a major effect on small market teams.
Soto is set to earn $51 million per year, which could then increase to $55 million if he does not opt out of his contract with the team by 2029. This would see other players demand a similar salary in the future.
While big-market teams like the Mets, Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers could splash the cash, small-market teams will have no chance to land prominent names or retain some of them due to this uneven distribution of wealth among teams.
Long-term commitment and risk
While long-term commitment is something many people will agree is good in life, in sports, it can be a major risk. One of the other aspects of Juan Soto’s deal is his 15-year commitment to the NY Mets.
Soto is currently 26 and by the time his deal runs out, he will be 41 and probably at the end of his career. The biggest risk here is, nobody knows how this move will pan out.
Several stars in MLB history have penned down long-time deals with teams. One name that comes to mind is Alex Rodriguez. In 2000, A-Rod signed the then-biggest contract in MLB as he agreed to a 10-year $252 million contract extension with the Texas Rangers.
While A-Rod continued to work his charm, the Rangers never got going. Just three years later, he was traded to the New York Yankees.
Another big 10-year deal is of Albert Pujols. The MLB great signed a 10-year $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels in 2012. In the latter years of the contract, Pujols started to see a decline in his form. In his tenure with the team, the Angels never made the postseason, making it one of the toughest contracts to justify.
It’s not like the Mets will not make the postseason with Soto on their team. But by the time Soto enters into his final year, he might not be as valuable then compared to what it is now. If Soto’s deal does not end up working the way the Mets have planned, this could be the biggest failure in MLB.
Potential impact on competitive balance
The New York Mets are one of the strongest teams in MLB. The signing of Soto makes them stronger. This could potentially have a massive impact on competitive balance within the league.
If the Mets end up re-signing Pete Alonso, they could have three power hitters in him, Lindor and Soto in the lineup. Along with stars like Mark Vientos, who shined in the 2024 postseason, the Mets could become a super-strong team.
In the 1920s their cross-town rivals used to spend money on some big names. They had Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in their lineup. The two of them terrorized the opposition teams with their incredible hitting abilities.
Having Soto, Lindor, and Alonso could make the team over powerful. If the Mets keep on winning with this trio, it could create a gap between the big market and small market teams which could have an impact on fan interference. It could also have long-term consequences for the league’s overall popularity and financial ability.
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Vinay Dave
(1775 Articles Published)