Juan Soto is going to receive a lucrative contract in MLB free agency. New York Yankees fans are hopeful that Soto will re-sign with the ball club, of course, but regardless of which team he signs with, the outfielder is going to get a massive deal. How much will Soto end up receiving, though?
“Who knows where the number goes,” Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said, via Foul Territory. “But I do remember at one point… writing that Soto was going to be $500 million. And I got a whole host of comments,’ you’re crazy, he doesn’t pitch like (Shohei) Ohtani. There’s no way he’s getting as much.’ Well, guess what? He’s getting as much.”
So what will Juan Soto’s contract look like in free agency? Rosenthal believes he will use Ohtani’s contract as a guide of sorts, and the MLB insider thinks Soto may “try to beat Ohtani’s” AAV (average annual value).
“And what he’s going to do in my opinion, the one thing I feel relatively comfortable saying, is he will try to beat Ohtani’s present day value in annual salary. So if you remember, Ohtani, because of the deferrals, yes it’s $70 million a year. But once you defer it, it comes to, depending on the calculation, $45, $46, $47 (million), whatever it is. I would imagine Soto’s AAV is going to start with a five. Then it becomes a question of how many years? And we will see where that goes.”
Ohtani signed a $700 million contract with deferrals. Rosenthal is saying that Soto’s potential contract may challenge Ohtani’s AAV, not necessarily the contract total.
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It is worth noting that Ohtani signed a 10-year deal. Soto is only 25 years old so he may be looking for a longer contract which could make surpassing Ohtani’s AAV difficult. Perhaps he will settle for a shorter contract if the average salary per year is worth it, however.
Juan Soto is in a great position right now. He is in the process of preparing to help the Yankees in the World Series. Following the Fall Classic, win or lose, Soto will be set to receive a possible record-breaking contract in free agency.