Could Yankees Superstar Juan Soto Actually Land Rumored $700 Million Deal?

The Juan Soto sweepstakes are taking over the game of baseball this winter. Five to 10 different teams are expected to pursue Soto, all offering him offers that likely exceed $400 million.

Teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Dodgers have entered the race, though the New York Yankees and New York Mets are considered favorites.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently discussed Soto’s upcoming free agency, talking about what GMs expect the length and value of his contract to be.

“One interested GM said he believes Soto will seek a record 15-year deal, presumably for more than the position-player record $40M salary of Judge (and perhaps the $43.3M Max Scherzer/Justin Verlander overall record, too) and suggested at least a record-tying 13 years will be offered,” Heyman wrote.

Could Soto actually land a deal north of Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking $700 million contract?

The answer to that question is a resounding maybe.

And let’s preface. Soto won’t be earning a 10-year, $700 million contract. For him to reach $700 million, he would need a record-breaking 15-year deal, but it’s absolutely possible. Let’s do the math.

As Heyman stated, Soto is believed to be seeking a 15-year contract that would take him through his age 41 season. Fifteen years at $40 million a year would land him at $600 million even. This $600 million number should be looked at as the floor for what Soto could get this winter.

If he gets $45 million a year for 15 years, it would be a contract worth $675 million. Closer, but not there yet.

A $700 million contract over 15 years would need to be worth $46.67 million a year. That’s not completely out of the picture for Soto, especially with how competitive his market is. Deferred money could play a factor in this as well. If a team is willing to offer $50 million to $100 million in deferred money on top of a massive contract, they could break the $700 million threshold.

It’s not completely out of the picture.

More MLB: Two ‘Mystery Teams’ Set To Join Yankees, Mets, Others In Juan Soto Sweepstakes