Juan Soto’s Record $765M Mets Free-Agent Contract Wows Donovan Mitchell, MLB Fans

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, New York Knicks guard Josh Hart and MLB fans across the nation reacted to superstar outfielder Juan Soto agreeing to a deal with the New York Mets in free agency. per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Soto will sign a 15-year, $765 million contract to join the Mets, marking the largest contract in professional sports history. The deal is free of deferments and contains escalators that could push the total value above $800 million, according to Passan.

Mets and MLB fans alike rushed to social media to share their reactions to the record-breaking contract:

In his only season with the Yankees last year, Soto was voted to the AL All-Star team as a starter, posting a .288/.419/.569 slash line with a career-high 41 homers.

The 26-year-old eclipsed Shohei Ohtani’s groundbreaking 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, signed at the start of last season. His $750 million contract is also more than double that of former Yankee teammate Aaron Judge’s record-setting $360 million deal from two years ago, per New York Post’s Jon Heyman.

After a weeks-long battle between several teams, the race came down to the Yankees, Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto kept MLB fans on the edge of their seats, letting each team outbid the others as fans kept their fingers crossed.

On Saturday night, Heyman reported that both the Yankees and Mets increased their offers, creating some distance between themselves and the other teams as clear frontrunners. Following several successful meetings between Soto, Mets owner Steve Cohen and team president David Stearns, the Mets emerged as strong contenders, per Heyman.

Now, the deal is finalized after much fan anxiety and a monumental, groundbreaking contract.