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Biggest contracts in sports history: How Juan Soto’s new deal with Mets compares to Shohei Ohtani, other stars | Sporting News

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Biggest contracts in sports history: How Juan Soto’s new deal with Mets compares to Shohei Ohtani, other stars | Sporting News

Juan Soto is breaking the bank. 

MLB’s superstar outfielder is signing a record-breaking deal with the New York Mets, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, after spending the 2024 season with the Yankees.

Considered one of the most talented hitters in the game at just 26, Soto earned a record-setting amount of money. His 15-year contract is set to rank among the richest deals in the history of professional sports.

Here are the details to know about Soto’s deal with the Mets, plus where it falls on the list of the largest contracts in sports history. 

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Juan Soto Mets contract details

Soto has inked a $765 million deal with the Mets that includes no deferred money and has escalators that can reach above $800 million, per Passan.

As the Mets’ new outfielder, Soto immediately becomes the highest-paid player in baseball history, surpassing Shohei Ohtani’s massive deal with the Dodgers in 2023.

It isn’t often that baseball’s market gets entirely reset by a superstar player, but it’s now happened in consecutive offseasons. Soto and Ohtani, both playing in the National League, are set to rank atop MLB in contract value for years to come.

MORE: Winter Meetings rumors tracker

Biggest contracts in professional sports history

Soto’s deal with the Mets isn’t just the largest in MLB history. It’s the most expensive deal in professional sports history. 

Ohtani’s $700 million contract with the Dodgers held the previous record, which Soto shattered by $65 million. It remains to be seen if a generational athlete will be able to ink a deal worth more than $765 million someday, but for now, Soto is the highest-paid athlete in history. 

Here’s a look at the biggest contracts in professional sports history. 

Rank Athlete Sport Organization Contract length Contract value Average annual value
1 Juan Soto Baseball New York Mets 15 years $765 million $51 million
2 Shohei Ohtani Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers 10 years $700 million $70 million
3 Lionel Messi Soccer Barcelona 4 years $674 million $168.5 million
4 Cristiano Ronaldo Soccer Al Nassr 2.5 years $536.3 million $214.5 million
5 Patrick Mahomes Football Kansas City Chiefs 10 years $450 million $45 million
6 Karim Benzema Soccer Al-Ittihad 2 years $447.3 million $223.6 million
7 Mike Trout Baseball Los Angeles Angels 12 years $426.5 million $35.5 million
8 Canelo Alvarez Boxing DAZN 5 years $365 million $73 million
(tie) Mookie Betts Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers 12 years $365 million $30.4 million
10 Aaron Judge Baseball New York Yankees 9 years $360 million $40 million

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