The New York Mets signed free agent Juan Soto during the offseason, luring him to Queens with little more than a 15-year, $765 million deal. f that sounds like a lot, well, it is. And not just because it's the largest contract in sports history.
It also dwarfs the amount that 22 other teams combined to pay free agents this winter. Yes, more than two-thirds of the league combined. That's how much the Mets spent on Soto. ESPN's Jeff Passan spelled it out in a column on Tuesday.
More than $1 billion comes from the New York Mets-- and of that, more than three-quarters belongs to Juan Soto, whose 15-year, $765 million contract set a high-dollar mark across all of professional sports. Here is how massive Soto's deal is: combine every free agent dollar spent this winter by the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners ,Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels, and Soto was guaranteed more.
Soto will account for $51,875,000 of the Mets' MLB-leading $301,950,000 payroll this season. The Marlins are currently on the books for just $43,630,000 this coming season. The Athletics are one more firesale away from dropping below Soto's figure as well.
And don't count out the White Sox moving Andrew Benintendi or Luis Robert Jr. to fall behind Soto either. Those are the only players on their roster who will make more than $6 million this season. The Mets have 13 players making more than that in 2025.
What's the point of being a billionaire owner if you're not going to spend like one?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mets Gave Juan Soto More Than 22 Other MLB Teams Spent This Winter Combined.
