Juan Soto has signed what is reportedly the biggest contract in the history of sport after agreeing a $765m deal over 15 years with Major League Baseball’s New York Mets.
The 26-year-old Dominican was set to be MLB’s most sought-after free agent this off-season having just had the best season of his career with the New York Yankees.
He has the highest career on-base percentage among active players (0.421), with only Yankees team-mate Aaron Judge enjoying a better OBP in 2024, and only three players hit more home runs.
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The MLB website said Soto will get a $75m signing bonus in a deal that could eventually be worth up to $800m.
The total value of the deal eclipses the $700m 10-year contract that Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.
Soto’s new deal is understood to be the largest in professionals sport in total value.
Some of the other biggest include Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history in September by agreeing a four-year contract extension worth $240m.
In 2020, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes signed a 10-year contract extension worth $450m, which has the highest overall value in the NFL. Prescott has the highest annual salary though.
In the NBA, the Boston Celtics have tied Jayson Tatum down to a new five-year deal worth a reported $314m.
And in football, Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo has a contract with Al-Nassr until 2025 that is reportedly worth more than 200m euros per year, while Lionel Messi’s deal at Inter Miami is reportedly worth up to $60m a year.
