Juan Soto Contract Could Eclipse Shohei Ohtani Deal in a Key Way

LOS ANGELES — Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is celebrating his 26th birthday Friday, also Game 1 of the World Series in Dodger Stadium between his New York team and the Dodgers. He’ll need to wait just a bit for his biggest gift—perhaps the largest contract in MLB history, at least in present-day value. 

As the star-studded Fall Classic begins, rife with expectations and implications, one of the largest issues surrounding the event is Soto’s future status. Acquired by the Yankees last offseason in a trade with the Padres, Soto will be a free agent after the World Series. Soto’s offseason saga had already been a major topic throughout the season, particularly as he is widely projected to garner a contract of at least $500 million. 

His postseason heroics, particularly in the American League Championship Series, have further elevated that salary chatter to $600 million, and perhaps beyond, fueled in part by his teammates. 

There is another key element, however, to the Soto contract discussion: what, if any, deferrals will be included in the deal. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is deferring $680 million of his 10-year, $700 million contract until after he finishes that deal—an unprecedented situation that has rankled California legislators due to the income tax implications, but it also allowed Los Angeles to have a value of $46.1 million annually for MLB luxury-tax purposes. 

Soto’s youth, even with this latest birthday, and immense skill could help him far surpass all prior MLB records in average annual value for his contract, and perhaps even Ohtani for present-day contract value. Soto’s current on-field trajectory currently has him roughly on par with current Baseball Hall of Famers such as Frank Robinson or players who will be, like Mike Trout. A 15-year contract would take Soto until he is 41, and it’s certainly plausible to conceive of him still playing then. Ohtani, conversely, was 29 when he signed his Dodgers deal and he has since turned 30. His decade-long contract term is more in line with his likely longevity. 

On His Mind 

Responding Thursday to a Front Office Sports question, Soto said he has been letting agent Scott Boras handle the contract matters for now, and that Boras “has been doing a really good job to not make it hard for me.”

That’s been little comfort, though, for anxious Yankees fans thrilled with both Soto’s on-field performance and buoyant personality, but nervous that his time in pinstripes could soon be over.

“I’m really thankful to them,” Soto said of the Yankees faithful. “They’ve been with me day in and day out. They’ve been supportive of me since Day 1. The only thing I can say is that I’ve been really happy they’ve had my back the whole year. Thank you for everything.”

Soto’s current career crossroads very much recalls the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, also at Dodger Stadium. Then with the Nationals, Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer to stay in Washington—which would have been MLB’s largest deal at that point—and faced a barrage of questions about his future. Days later, he was dealt to San Diego. 

“I remember that All-Star Game. That was crazy. It was hot [then], too,” Soto said.