Juan Soto has hit the jackpot.
The MLB star is set to join the New York Mets, agreeing a 15-year, $765million contract that is the biggest in the history of sports.
News of Soto’s deal, which broke on Sunday, sent shockwaves through the baseball world and beyond.
The contract, which the Mets have not confirmed because it’s pending a physical, contains a $75m signing bonus, an opt-out after five seasons and no deferred money.
According to reports, New York will have the ability to void Soto’s opt-out clause after the 2029 season if they boost the average annual value of the final ten years of his deal from $51m to $55m.
In that case, the overall deal would worth $805m over 15 years.
Soto, who has been in the league since 2018 and played last season with the New York Yankees, joins a Mets clubhouse that already boasts stars like Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos.
But how does his record-breaking contract stack up with the highest paid sports stars in the world?
MLB
Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers – $700million
Ohtani’s ten-year, $700m deal previously stood as the biggest in sports history.
Signed in 2023, he will be on the Dodgers’ payroll for the next 20 years under the unique terms that mean he will only make $2m each of the next ten years.
The other $680m is scheduled to be paid out in $68m instalments on July 1 every year from 2034-43.
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Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels – $426.5million
Trout has been either the best player in baseball or close to it for the better part of a decade, and the Angels rewarded him accordingly.
At the time he signed this 12-year contract extension in 2019, it was the richest deal in professional American sports.
Mookie Betts – Los Angeles Dodgers – $365million
In 2021, the Dodgers signed a 12-year deal to keep Betts until 2032, having acquired him in a trade from the Boston Red Sox.
Aaron Judge – New York Yankees – $360million
Judge became a free agent after the 2022 season, but the Yankees ensured he remained in the iconic pinstripes by agreeing a nine-year, $360m deal amid interest from the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
6
NFL
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – $450million
Mahomes inked a ten-year, $450m extension with the Chiefs during the 2020 offseason. The three-time Super Bowl MVP and Kansas City QB reworked the deal last September so that he would make $208.1m from 2023-26.
Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals – $275million
The Bengals rewarded their franchise quarterback Burrow a record contract in 2023. He signed a five-year extension worth $275m, and his deal has $219m guaranteed.
Trevor Lawrence – Jacksonville Jaguars – $275million
Lawrence signed a five-year, $275m contract with the Jaguars before the 2024 NFL season. His deal has $200m guaranteed.
Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers – $262.5 million
Herbert signed his five-year $262.5m contract extension in July 2023, and $218.7m of that is guaranteed.
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Football
Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona – $674million
Messi’s four-year, $674m contract with Barcelona between 2017 and 2021 was the largest in the history of football. He was said to have earned a fixed $168.5m per year, plus variables.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Al Nassr – $536million
Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in December 2022 after his high-profile exit from Manchester United, signing a two-and-a-half-year deal rumoured to be worth more than $200m per year.
Karim Benzema – Al-Ittihad – $426million
Benzema joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad after confirming his departure from Real Madrid in 2023. He was reported to have agreed terms on a two-year deal, with an option of a further year, worth $213m per season.
Neymar – Al Hilal – $300million
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for the Saudi league in the summer of 2023 and according to reports at the time, signed a two-year contract that will give him a guaranteed $300 million, and up to $400million based on commercial deals with Al Hilal.
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NBA
Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics – $314million
The first player to earn $70m in a single season, Tatum signed a five-year extension with the NBA Championship-winning Celtics in July 2024.
Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics – $304million
Brown agreed to sign a five-year, $304m extension with the Celtics in 2023, and at the time it was the richest deal in NBA history. The $304m figure has since been beaten by his teammate, Tatum.
Nikola Jokic – Denver Nugget – $272million
The reigning MVP, Jokic signed a five-year max extension with the Nuggets in 2022. He has since gone on to win the NBA Championships, and another MVP award.
Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards – $251million
Beal declined an option to become a free agent in 2022 and signed a max contract to remain with the Wizards for the next five seasons. But his time in Washington was short-lived and he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
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Other sports
Canelo Alvarez – DAZN – $365million
In 2018, Alvarez signed a five-year, 11-fight deal worth at least $365m, under which his fights would be broadcast in the US by the streaming service.
However, the two parties cancelled their deal in 2020 following a disagreement over his next opponent and the financial rewards involved.
Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing – $330million
The four-time F1 world champion signed a six-year, $330m deal with Red Bull in 2022 that sees him earn a salary of $55m – the highest on the grid.